from that. I told him what an experienced friend of mine once said to me
solemnly:--

"If anything goes wrong with your gear-case, sell the machine and buy a
new one; it comes cheaper."

He said: "People talk like that who understand nothing about machines.
Nothing is easier than taking off a gear-case."

I had to confess he was right. In less than five minutes he had the gear-
case in two pieces, lying on the path, and was grovelling for screws. He
said it was always a mystery to him the way screws disappeared.

We were still looking for the screws when Ethelbertha came out. She
seemed surprised to find us there; she said she thought we had started
hours ago.

He said: "We shan't be long now. I'm just helping your husband to
overhaul this machine of his. It's a good machine; but they all want
going over occasionally."

Ethelbertha said: "If you want to wash yourselves when you have done you
might go into the back kitchen, if you don't mind; the girls have just
finished the bedrooms."

She told me that if she met Kate they would probably go for a sail; but
that in any case she would be back to lunch. I would have given a
sovereign to be going with her. I was getting heartily sick of standing
about watching this fool breaking up my bicycle.