HACK TO BACK 
Krs. Scutts re- 
monstrated, but in 
vain, and at half- 
past six the invalid, 
with his cap over 
his eyes and a large 
scarf tied round the 
lower part of his 
face, listened for a 
moment at his 
front door and then 
disappeared in the 
fog. 
Left to herself, 
Mrs. Scutts re- 
turned to the bed- 
room and, poking 
the tiny fire into a 
blaze, sat and pon- 
dered over the wil- 
fulness of men. 
She was awakened 
from a doze by a 
knocking at t h e 
street-door. It was 
just eight o’clock, 
and, inwardly con- 
gratulating her 
husband on his 
return to common 
sense and home, 
she went down and 
opened it. Two tall 
men in silk hats 
entered the room. 
“ Mrs. Scutts ? ” 
said one of them. 
Mrs. Scutts, in a 
dazed fashion, 
nodded. 
“We have come 
‘halloa/ said that gentleman, who was standing in the scullery 
REMOVING MUD FROM HIS BOOTS. ‘WHAT'S UP?*” 
to see your hus- 
band,” said the in- 
truder. “ T am a 
doctor.” 
The panic-stricken Mrs. Scutts tried in vain 
to think. 
“ He — he’s asleep,” she said, at last. 
“ Doesn’t matter,” said the doctor. 
“ Not a bit,” said his companion. 
“ You — you can’t see him,” protested Mrs. 
Scutts. “ He ain’t to be seen.” 
“ He’d be sorry to miss me,” said the doctor, 
eyeing her keenly as she stood on guard by 
the inner door. “ I suppose he’s at home ? ” 
“ Of course,” said Mrs. Scutts, stammering 
and flushing. u Why, the pore man can’t 
stir from his bed.” 
“ Well, I’ll just peep in at the door, then/’ 
said the doctor. “ 1 won’t wake him. You 
can’t object to that. If you do ” 
Mrs. Scutts’s head began to swim. “ I’ll go 
up and see whether lie’s awake,” she said. 
She closed the door on them and stood with 
her hand to her throat, thinking. Then, 
instead of going upstairs, she passed into the 
yard and, stepping over the fence, opened Mr. 
Flynn’s back door. 
“ Halloa ! ” said that gentleman, who was 
standing in the scullery removing mud from 
his boots. “ What’s up ? ” 
In a frenzied gabble Mrs. Scutts told him. 
“ You must be ’im ,” she said, clutching him by 
