his head, he turned to Jenny and asked:

"Do you consider yourself a femme superieure?" He had to repeat
the question several times before Jenny got the hang of it.

"No," she said, rather indignantly, when at last she heard what
Denis was saying. "Certainly not. Has anyone been suggesting
that I am?"

"No," said Denis. "Mr. Scogan told Mary she was one."

"Did he?" Jenny lowered her voice. "Shall I tell you what I
think of that man? I think he's slightly sinister."

Having made this pronouncement, she entered the ivory tower of
her deafness and closed the door. Denis could not induce her to
say anything more, could not induce her even to listen. She just
smiled at him, smiled and occasionally nodded.

Denis went out on to the terrace to smoke his after-breakfast
pipe and to read his morning paper. An hour later, when Anne
came down, she found him still reading. By this time he had got
to the Court Circular and the Forthcoming Weddings. He got up to
meet her as she approached, a Hamadryad in white muslin, across
the grass.

"Why, Denis," she exclaimed, "you look perfectly sweet in your
white trousers."

Denis was dreadfully taken aback. There was no possible retort.