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226 I was willing enough to let her have her way; we dined at the Savoy, lingered over our dinner, and came home. The evening passed quickly enough, for we had the lost talks of a dozen evenings to make up for. Mrs. Jubb alone afforded food for hours of talk. Angel was of the opinion that that good lady would have been luckier if Chelubai and Bottiger had kept her head in the noose-bag for another three minutes; but I could truly assure her that she would soon be happy enough, happier by far than she deserved, in a comfortable lunatic asylum; and she agreed with me that she was unlikely to be saner than the rest of the world. It was nearly one o'clock when we said good-night and went to bed.

It was indeed delightful to come to breakfast next morning and find Angel making the tea.

After breakfast I went to Chelubai's rooms, and found Bottiger breakfasting with him, both of them very gloomy.

They brightened a little at the sight of me; and Chelubai said reproachfully, "We've been wondering if we were ever going to see you again."

"I've been busy," I said.

"It seems as if we'd somehow or other shut ourselves off from the human race by that confounded job," said Bottiger sulkily.

"Oh, I'm not the human race," I protested modestly. "There's some in the streets: I've just seen them."