keep my hand in, I once did a little stunt with the sergeant's
cigarette: it grew suddenly longer as he struck a match to light it, and
went on growing till he had to ask me to light it for him, and then it
shrank up and burnt his nose. Of course he couldn't really bring the
thing home to me, but somehow--well, as I say, I never got my stripe."

To this discussion, and indeed to all the enchantments, Lady Arabel paid
no attention, but continued to talk a little nervously on very insipid
subjects. Her eyes had the pathetic look often seen in stupid people's
eyes, the "Don't-listen-to-me" look, "I am not saying what I should like
to say. The real Me is better than this."

Finally Richard indulged in a trick that was evidently a stock joke
among magic people, for the witch laughed directly it began. Just as the
hostess, with poised fork and spoon, was about to distribute the
whitebait, the round table began to spin, and the whitebait were whisked
away from her. The table continued to spin for a moment, with a deep
thrilling organ sound, and when it stopped, the whitebait were found to
have assembled opposite to Richard's place. He distributed them gravely.
Lady Arabel turned scarlet, and murmured to Sarah Brown: "So dretfully
ingenious, and so merry."

Sarah Brown took pity on her, and began talking at random. The orchestra
was busy again, and to the tune of a loud elusive rag-time, she shouted:
"Do you know, I gave my job the sack this morning. I shall be on the
brink of starvation in three and a half days' time. That's counting a
box of Oxo Cubes I have by me. You don't happen to know of a suitable
job. I can't cook, and if I sew a button on it comes off quicker than if
I hadn't. But I once learnt to play the big drum."