townwards, "that they will be in the least grateful for the
Unrest-cure."




THE JESTING OF ARLINGTON STRINGHAM



Arlington Stringham made a joke in the House of Commons. It was a
thin House, and a very thin joke; something about the Anglo-Saxon
race having a great many angles. It is possible that it was
unintentional, but a fellow-member, who did not wish it to be
supposed that he was asleep because his eyes were shut, laughed.
One or two of the papers noted "a laugh" in brackets, and another,
which was notorious for the carelessness of its political news,
mentioned "laughter." Things often begin in that way.

"Arlington made a joke in the House last night," said Eleanor
Stringham to her mother; "in all the years we've been married
neither of us has made jokes, and I don't like it now. I'm afraid
it's the beginning of the rift in the lute."

"What lute?" said her mother.

"It's a quotation," said Eleanor.

To say that anything was a quotation was an excellent method, in
Eleanor's eyes, for withdrawing it from discussion, just as you