They sought a little bottle-windowed half-dairy, half-restaurant, a dark-browed, two-hundred-year-old house, at the head of a narrow side street. They had patronised it from the days of their fagdom, and were very much friends at home.

`We've come to pay our debts, mother,' said Stalky, sliding his arm round the fifty-six-inch waist of the mistress of the establishment. `To pay our debts and say good-bye -- and -- and we're awf'ly hungry.'

`Aie!' said Mother Yeo, `makkin' love to me! I'm shaamed of 'ee.'

`'Rackon us wouldn't du no such thing if Mary was here,' said M`Turk, lapsing into the broad North Devon that the boys used on their campaigns.

`Who'm takin' my name in vain?' The inner door opened, and Mary, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and apple- cheeked, entered with a bowl of cream in her hands. M`Turk kissed her. Beetle followed suit, with exemplary calm. Both boys were promptly cuffed.

`Niver kiss the maid when 'e can kiss the mistress,' said Stalky, shamelessly winking at Mother Yeo, as he investigated a shelf of jams.

`'Glad to see one of 'ee don't want his head slapped no more?' said Mary invitingly, in that direction.

`Neu! 'Reckon I can get 'em give me,' said Stalky, his back turned.

`Not by me -- yeou little masterpiece!'

`Niver asked 'ee. There's maids to Northam. Yiss -- an' Appledore.' An unreproducible sniff, half contempt, half reminiscence, rounded the retort.

`Aie! Yeou won't niver come to no good end. Whutt be 'baout, smellin' the cream?'

`'Tees bad,' said Stalky. `Zmell 'un.'

Incautiously Mary did as she was bid.

`Bidevoor kiss.'

`Niver amiss,' said Stalky, taking it without injury.

`Yeou -- yeou -- yeou --' Mary began, bubbling with mirth.

`They'm better to Northam -- more rich, laike -- an' us gets them give back again,' he said, while M`Turk solemnly waltzed Mother Yeo out of breath, and Beetle told Mary the sad news, as they sat down to clotted cream, jam, and hot bread.

`Yiss. Yeou'll niver zee us no more, Mary. We'm goin' to be passons an' missioners.'

`Steady the Buffs!' said M`Turk, looking through the blind. `Tulke has followed us. He's comin' up the street now.'

`They've niver put us out o' bounds,' said Mother Yeo. `Bide yeou still, my little dearrs.' She rolled into the inner room to make the score.

`Mary,' said Stalky suddenly, with tragic intensity. `Do 'ee lov' me, Mary?'

`Iss -- fai! Talled 'ee zo since yeou was zo high!' the damsel replied.