human outlet.

But after a while her natural inclination to hospitality, her
humorous enjoyment of other people's foibles, and a quaint delight
in parading her own, led to constant succession of house-parties at
Overdene, which soon became known as a Liberty Hall of varied
delights where you always met the people you most wanted to meet,
found every facility for enjoying your favourite pastime, were fed
and housed in perfect style, and spent some of the most ideal days
of your summer, or cheery days of your winter, never dull, never
bored, free to come and go as you pleased, and everything seasoned
everybody with the delightful "sauce piquante" of never being quite
sure what the duchess would do or say next.

She mentally arranged her parties under three heads--"freak
parties," "mere people parties," and "best parties." A "best party"
was in progress on the lovely June day when the duchess, having
enjoyed an unusually long siesta, donned what she called her "garden
togs" and sallied forth to cut roses.

As she tramped along the terrace and passed through the little iron
gate leading to the rose-garden, Tommy, the scarlet macaw, opened
one eye and watched her; gave a loud kiss as she reached the gate
and disappeared from view, then laughed to himself and went to sleep
again.

Of all the many pets, Tommy was prime favourite. He represented the
duchess's one concession to morbid sentiment. After the demise of
the duke she had found it so depressing to be invariably addressed
with suave deference by every male voice she heard. If the butler