The boy named a street on the frontiers of St. John’s Wood.

‘And who is your father?’

‘Major Apsley, D.S.O.’

‘And how did you come here?’

‘In a hansom.  I told the man to wait.’

‘How did you get away?’

’Father took us to Lord’s, with Miss Limmer, and there was a crowd, and Bats and I slipped out; for None-so-pretty said we ought to call on you.’

‘Who is Miss Limmer?’

‘Our governess.’

‘Have you a mother?’

The child’s brown eyes filled with tears, and his cheeks flushed.  ’It was in India that she—­’

‘Yes, be a man, Tommy.  I am looking the other way,’ which Merton did for some seconds.  ‘Now, Tommy, is Miss Limmer kind to you?’

The child’s face became strangely set and blank; his eyes looking vacant.  ’Miss Limmer is very kind to us.  She loves us and we love her dearly.  Ask Batsy,’ he said in a monotonous voice, as if he were repeating a lesson.  ‘Batsy, come here,’ he said in the same voice.  ’Is Miss Limmer kind to us?’

Batsy threw up her eyes—­it was like a stage effect, ’We love Miss Limmer dearly, and she loves us.  She is very, very kind to us, like our dear mamma.’  Her voice was monotonous too.  ‘I never can say the last part,’ said Tommy.  ‘Batsy knows it; about dear mamma.’

‘Indeed!’ said Merton.  ‘Tommy, why did you come here?’

’I don’t know.  I told you that None-so-pretty told us to.  She did it after she saw that when we were bathing.’  Tommy raised one of his little loose breeks that did not cover the knee.

That was not pleasant to look on:  it was on the inside of the right thigh.

‘How did you get hurt there?’ asked Merton.

The boy’s monotonous chant began again:  his eyes were fixed and blank as before.  ‘I fell off a tree, and my leg hit a branch on the way down.’

‘Curious accident,’ said Merton; ‘and None-so-pretty saw the mark?’

‘Yes.’

‘And asked you how you got it?’

‘Yes, and she saw blue marks on Batsy, all over her arms.’

‘And you told None-so-pretty that you fell off a tree?’

‘Yes.’

‘And she told you to come here?’

‘Yes, she had read your printed article.’

‘Well, here is luncheon,’ said Merton, and bade the office boy call Miss Blossom from the inner chamber to share the meal.  Batsy had as low a chair as possible, and was disposing her napkin to do the duty of a pinafore.

Miss Blossom entered from within with downcast eyes.

‘None-so-pretty!’

‘None-so-pretty!’ shouted the children, while Tommy rushed to throw his arms round her neck, to meet which she stooped down, concealing a face of blushes.  Batsy descended from her chair, waddled up, climbed another chair, and attacked the girl from the rear.  The office boy was arranging luncheon.  Merton called him to the writing-table, scribbled a note, and said, ‘Take that to Dr. Maitland, with my compliments.’