tut!” and coughed gently as her husband entered the room, followed by a tall, burly man, beady of eye and rubicund of visage. 

 “Sergeant-Major Morris,” he said, introducing him. 

 The sergeant-major shook hands, and taking the proffered seat by the fire, watched contentedly while his host got out whiskey and tumblers and stood a small copper kettle on the fire. 

 At the third glass his eyes got brighter, and he began to talk, the little family circle regarding with eager interest this visitor from distant parts, as he squared his broad shoulders in the chair and spoke of wild scenes and doughty deeds; of wars and plagues and strange peoples. 

 “Twenty-one years of it,” said Mr. White, nodding at his wife and son. “When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse. Now look at him.” 

 “He don’t look to have taken much harm,” said Mrs. White, politely. 

 “I’d like to go to India myself,” said the old man, “just to look round a bit, you know.” 

 “Better where you are,” said the sergeant-major, shaking his head. He put down the empty glass, and sighing softly, shook it again. 

 “I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers,” said the old man. “What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey’s paw or something, Morris?” 

 “Nothing,” said the soldier, hastily. “Leastways nothing worth hearing.” 

 “Monkey’s paw?” said Mrs. White, curiously. 

 “Well, it’s just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps,” said the sergeant-major, offhandedly. 

 His three listeners leaned forward eagerly. The visitor absent-mindedly put his empty glass to his lips and then set it down again. His host filled it for him. 

 “To look at,” said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, “it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.” 

 He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously. 

 “And what is there special about it?” inquired Mr. White as he took it from his son, and having examined it, placed it upon the table. 

 Prev. P 2/11 next