When he had finished his cigarette, he went into the bedroom. Yes, she
was veritably in bed.

"You are a pig, Arthur. I wonder how many wives--"

He put his hand over her mouth.

"Stop," he said. "I'm not like you. I don't need to be told what I know
already."

"But really--!" She dropped her head on one side and began to laugh, and
continued to laugh, rather hysterically, until she could not laugh any
more. "Oh, dear! We are the queerest pair!"

"It is possible," said he. "You're forgotten the eau-de-cologne." He
handed her the bottle. "It is quite possible that we're the queerest
pair, but this is a very serious day in the history of the Prohack
family. The Prohack family has been starving, and some one's given it an
enormous beefsteak. Now it's highly dangerous to give a beefsteak to a
starving person. The consequences might be fatal. That's why it's so
serious. That's why I must have time to think."

The sound of Sissie playing a waltz on the piano came up from the
drawing-room. Mr. Prohack started to dance all by himself in the middle
of the bedroom floor.




CHAPTER V