And by that least little bit she measured the deeps and
eternities of her thraldom to fact. Madame was not best
pleased at being contradicted on a professional matter, and
when Madame lost her temper you usually found it afterwards
in the bill.

And at last the dreadful thing came, as the Woman had
foreseen all along that it must; it was one of those paltry
little truths with which she harried her waking hours. On a
raw Wednesday morning, in a few ill-chosen words, she told
the cook that she drank. She remembered the scene afterwards
as vividly as though it had been painted in her mind by
Abbey. The cook was a good cook, as cooks go; and as cooks
go she went.

Miriam Klopstock came to lunch the next day. Women and
elephants never forget an injury.



REGINALD'S DRAMA



Reginald closed his eyes with the elaborate weariness of one
who has rather nice eyelashes and thinks it useless to
conceal the fact.

"One of these days," he said, "I shall write a really great