"My late 'usband--" resumed Mrs. Banks, crescendo.
"It certainly is an extraordinary noise," remarked Mr. Welwyn loudly. "They appear to be on the staircase now."
"Sliding down the banisters, no doubt," said Dicky. "Playful little fellows! Shall I come with you, Percy?"
Percy Welwyn paused, a little embarrassed.
"Don't trouble," he said. "You see--"
He paused again--fatally.
"My late 'usband," proclaimed Grandma Banks on the top note of her register, "was a plumber 'imself."
Next moment the double doors burst open, and Mr. Mehta Ram, frantic with terror, hurled himself into the room.
CHAPTER XXII
THE REAL TILLY