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 just as I was about to begin operations. I explained the situation, with a word of decent apology.

“Hum,” said Arbuthnot. “If I had known that, I would have lunched in town.”

“You might go further and fare worse than here,” I retorted, a trifle tartly.

“That remains to be seen,” he answered dryly. “Are there any sardines?”

“There are,” said I, “but I think you will not need them. I was just about to fry some eggs, and bake some potatoes.”

“By all means,” said Arbuthnot. “I will hold the sardines in reserve. The best laid eggs of hens and men gang aft a-gley.”

“That is a long way from Burns,” I remarked.

“Let us hope,” said he, “that we shall be able to say the same of the eggs.”

His implied distrust awakened in me a vexed ambition, and, hastily summoning all my knowledge of the subject, I resolved upon