* * * * *
* * * * *
"So that dog's turned up again," observed Mr. Fordyce, senior, when a taxi deposited Noel, Flirt, and a portmanteau outside the Sub's paternal home, and informal but warm greetings had been exchanged. "I thought she was lost."
"I took her for a cruise for the benefit of her health, Pater," said his irrepressible offspring.
"Benefit of her health indeed," re-echoed Mr. Fordyce. "And, pray, is she better for the change? I was under the impression that she was far too high spirited before. I hope to goodness, Noel, that there will be no repetition of the Councillor Mindiggle business."
"I'll answer for that, Pater," replied the Sub. "She won't nip him again."
"You seem jolly sure of it," rejoined Mr. Fordyce. "If she does she'll have to be des——"
A dinner gong sounded, and Noel linked arms with his somewhat biased parent and led him into the dining-room.
"I'm awfully peckish, Pater," he remarked.
"Then set to," suggested Mr. Fordyce. "Well, what have you been doing with yourself?"
When at length Noel finished his yarn—on this occasion he was more communicative as to his adventures than on former occasions—Mr. Fordyce called to Flirt, who was contentedly coiled up on the hearth-rug.
"Come here, little girl!" he exclaimed. "By Jove, you're a brick! I'll take back all I said of you. Dash it all, I'd give you a biscuit but for my Lord Rhondda!"
PRINTED AND BOUND IN GREAT BRITAINBy Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow
PRINTED AND BOUND IN GREAT BRITAINBy Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow
Transcriber's Notes:This book contains a number of misprints.A few cases of punctuation have been corrected, but not mentioned here. The other misprints are reproduced as in the original.Possible misprints are:[It would have been a spendid] —> [It would have been a splendid][it's all U P with us] this might be a (strange) misprint for [it's all up with us][Orloof] —> everywhere else it's: [Orloff][futherance] —> [furtherance][framents] —> [fragments][was mantained] —> [was maintained][Klostovitch] —> everywhere else it's: [Klostivitch][freqently] —> [frequently][messsage] —> [message][Quarter-Master] —> everywhere else it's [quartermaster][THE TOO FAITHFUL FLIRT] —> in the list of illustrations there's no dash, but there is one beneath the actual image.
This book contains a number of misprints.A few cases of punctuation have been corrected, but not mentioned here. The other misprints are reproduced as in the original.Possible misprints are:[It would have been a spendid] —> [It would have been a splendid][it's all U P with us] this might be a (strange) misprint for [it's all up with us][Orloof] —> everywhere else it's: [Orloff][futherance] —> [furtherance][framents] —> [fragments][was mantained] —> [was maintained][Klostovitch] —> everywhere else it's: [Klostivitch][freqently] —> [frequently][messsage] —> [message][Quarter-Master] —> everywhere else it's [quartermaster][THE TOO FAITHFUL FLIRT] —> in the list of illustrations there's no dash, but there is one beneath the actual image.