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 from Jan's angry look to Evan's immediate air of superiority.

"You don't mean to say you smoke, Rutter?"

"I always did, you know," said Jan, with uncouth grin and scarlet ears.

"I know." Evan glanced at Chips. "But I didn't think you'd have done it here."

"I don't see any more harm in it here than at home."

"Except that it's a rotten kind of row to get into. I smoke at home myself," said Evan, loftily.

"All rows are rotten, aren't they?" remarked Carpenter, with apparent innocence. But Devereux was not deceived; these two were like steel and flint to-day; and more than sparks might have flown between them if Jan had not created a diversion by creeping back into the hall.

"I'm going upstairs before I do anything else," he announced. "There's something I don't much like."

"What is it?"

"I want to see."

Jan's brows were knit; the other two followed him with instant palpitations, but close together, for all their bickering. The stairs and landing were in better case than the lower floor next the earth; the stairs were sound enough to creak alarmingly as the boys ascended them in single file. And at that all three stood still, as though they expected an upper door to open and a terrible challenge to echo through the empty house. But Jan's was the first voice heard, as he picked up a newspaper which had been left hanging on the landing banisters.

"Some sporting card's been here before us," said Jan. "Here's the Sportsman of last Saturday week."

A landing window with a border of red and blue glass,