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 John Ruffin with a distressed air, and asked him what she should do about Mr. Gedge-Tomkins' breakfast.

"Mr. Gedge-Tomkins is one of those splendid Spartan fellows who will rejoice to go into court breakfastless," said the Honorable John Ruffin with calm cheerfulness.

"He'll be very angry with me, and he does make such a noise when he's angry," said Pollyooly with a somewhat plaintive dismay.

"We can't have that," said the Honorable John Ruffin quickly; and he knitted his brow and tried to think out a plan.

He could think of none. All those that his fertile mind conceived were unfeasible or quite extravagant. It was impossible in the time, or with the means at his disposal, a small hammer, a corkscrew, and the poker, to make a sufficiently large opening in the wall between the two sets of chambers to admit the passage of Pollyooly.

Then Pollyooly said, "Please, sir, if I stood close against your oak and you had the front door nearly shut, when I opened the oak you could shut it quite before he got in. I'm very narrow."