“Do you think they’ll notice it?” he inquired, contorting himself horribly in order to view the small of his back.
“Well,” I hesitated, “it all depends, you know.”
“I don’t mind Dorothy, or Betty the cook, or the governess - it’s Auntie Lisbeth I’m thinking about.”
“Auntie - who?” I exclaimed, regardless of grammar.
” Auntie Lisbeth,” repeated the Imp.
“What is she like?”
“Oh, she’s grown up big, only she’s nice. She came to take care of Dorothy an’ me while mother goes away to get nice an strong - oh Auntie Lisbeth’s jolly, you know.”
“With black hair and blue eyes?”
The Imp nodded.
“And a dimple at the corner of her mouth?” I went on dreamily - ” a dimple that would lead a man to the - Old Gentleman himself.”
“What old gentleman?”
“Oh, a rather disreputable old gentleman,” I answered evasively.
“An’ do you know my Auntie Lisbeth?”
“I think it extremely probable - in fact, I’m sure of it.”
“Then you might end me your handkerchief, please; I tied mine to a bush for a flag, you know, an’ it blew away.”
“You’d better come here and I’ll give you a rub-down my Imp.” He obeyed, with many profuse expressions of gratitude.
Hay you got any Aunties?” he inquired, as I laboured upon his miry person.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head; “unfortunately mine are all Aunts and that is vastly different.”
“Oh,” said the Imp, regarding me with a puzzled expression; “are they nice - I mean do they ever read to out of the history book, and help you to sail boats, an’ paddle?”
“Paddle?” I repeated
“Yes. My Auntie Lisbeth does. The other day we got up awfull’ early an’ went for a walk an’ we came to the river, so we took off our shoes an’ stockings an’ we paddled; it was ever so jolly, you know. An’ when Auntie wasn’t looking I found a frog an’ put it in her stocking.”
“Highly strategic, my Imp! Well?”
“It was awful funny,” he said, smiling dreamily. “When she went to put it on she gave a little high-up scream like Dorothy does when I pinch her a bit - an’ then she throwed them both away, ‘cause she was afraid there was frogs in both of them. Then she put on her shoes without any stockings at all, so I hid them.”
“Where?” I cried eagerly.
“Reggie!” called a voice some distance away - a voice I recognised with a thrill. “Reggie!”
“Imp, would you like half a crown?”
“‘Course I would; but you might clean my back, please,” and he began rubbing himself feverishly with his cap, after the fashion of a scrubbing brush.
“Look here,” I said, pulling out the coin, “tell me where you hid them - quick - and I’ll give you this.” The Imp held out his hand, but even as he did so the bushes parted and Lisbeth stood before us. She gave a little, low cry of surprise at sight of me, and then frowned.
“You?” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” I answered, raising my cap. And there I stopped, trying frantically to remember the speech I had so carefully prepared - the greeting which was to have explained my conduct and disarmed her resentment at the very outset. But rack my brain as I would, I could think of nothing but the reproach in her eyes - her disdainful mouth and chin - and that one haunting phrase:
“‘I suppose I am become the object of your bitterest scorn by now?’” I found myself saying.
“My aunt informed me of - of everything, and naturally - “
“Let me explain,” I began.
“Really, it is not at all necessary.”
“But, Lisbeth, I must - I insist - “
“Reginald,” she said, turning toward the Imp, who was still busy with his cap, “it’s nearly tea-time, and - why, whatever have you been doing to yourself?”
“For the last half hour,” I interposed, “we have been exchanging our opinions on the sex.”
“An’ talking ‘bout worms,” added the Imp. “This man is fond of worms, too, Auntie Lisbeth - I like him.”
“Thanks,” I said; “but let me beg of you to drop your very distant mode of address, Call me Uncle Dick,”
“But you’re not my Uncle Dick, you know,” he demurred.
“Not yet, perhaps; but there’s no knowing what may happen some day if your Auntie thinks us worthy - so take
