and clapped his hand to his head with a gasp of dismay. "Great
Heavens!" he exclaimed.

"Condy," cried Travis in alarm, "what is it"'

"The Tea!" he vociferated. "Laurie Flagg's Tea. I ought to be
there--right this minute."

Travis fetched a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"

"All!" he retorted. "All! Why, it's past four now--and I'd
forgotten every last thing." Then suddenlly falling calm again,
and quietly resuming his seat: "I don't see as it makes any
difference. I won't go, that's all. Push those almonds here,
will you, Miss Lady?--But we aren't DOING anything," he exclaimed,
with a brusque return of exuberance. "Let's do things. What'll
we do? Think of something. Is there anything we can break?" Then,
without any transition, he vaulted upon the table and began to
declaim, with tremendous gestures:


"There once was a beast called an Ounce,
Who went with a spring and a bounce.
His head was as flat
As the head of a cat,
This quadrupetantical Ounce,
---tical Ounce,
This quadrupetantical Ounce.

"You'd think from his name he was small,