"But, Henry!" crowed Mrs. Perrigord, opening her eyes wide, "I think it's p-perfectly wonderful, reolly, and so screamingly funny, don't you know, because oil deah Les-
He evah does is tolk, you see, and the pooah darling must have been most dreadfully disappointed. Whee!" Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
"Ay like to see de young foolks have a good time," observed Captain Valvick affably.
"… and for Curt to act like that just when everything was nice and arranged for the performance to-night, when I'd finally succeeded in keeping Uncle Jules sober! And it was such a ghastly task, you know," explained Peggy, wrinkling up her face to keep back the tears, "because four separate times I caught him trying to sneak out after that horrible old gin!" The thought of that horrible old gin Almost overcame her with tears, but she turned a grim if wrinkled face steadily towards them. "But at last I made him see reason, and everything was all right, and he came down here in lovely shape to the dining-room to eat his dinner, and everything is nice—"
"Your Uncle Jules," said Morgan thoughtfully, in the midst of a curious silence, "came down where to eat his dinner?"
"Why, down here! And—" "No, he didn't," said Morgan.
Peggy whirled round. Slowly, painstakingly, with misted eyes and lips slowly opening, she scanned the dining-saloon Inch by inch. Babble and riot flowed there under a fog of smoke; but Uncle Jules was not there. Peggy hesitated. Then she sat down at the table and burst into sobs.
"Come on!" said Morgan, leaping to his feet. "Come on, Skipper! There's a chance to salvage the wreck if we work Nut, He'll be in the bar if he's anywhere… How long's he been on the loose, Peggy?"
"Th-thrree-qu-quarrbolooo!" sobbed Peggy, beating her hands against her forehead. "And only an hour unt-t-il the bolooo. Oh, w-why w-was the aw-ful st-stuff ever invented, lind w-why do beastly m-men drink—?"
"Can he drink much in three quarters of an hour?" "G-gallons," said Peggy. "Whoooo!" "My de-deah," cried Mrs. Perrigord, the tears starting to her own eyes, "do you reolly mean that that cher M'skieux Fortinbras has really m'uskic, hie, has reolly got