nothing back
from her. I should begin by dwelling on the personnel of our little
company. 'My husband and I,' you should say, 'are not alone. We have also
with us Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Mannering, a delightful couple. Mr. A.
Mannering is something in the Territorials when he is not looking after
his estate. His wife is a great favourite in the county. Next I have to
introduce to you Mr. Thomas Todd, an agreeable young bachelor. Mr. Thomas
Todd is in the Sucking-a-ruler-and-looking-out-of-the-window Department
of the Admiralty, by whose exertions, so long as we preserve the 2 Todds
to 1 formula--or, excluding Canadian Todds, 16 to 10--Britannia rules the
waves. Lastly, there is Mr. Samuel Simpson. Short of sight but warm of
heart, and with (on a bad pitch) a nasty break from the off, Mr. S.
Simpson is a _litterateur_ of some eminence but little circulation,
combining on the cornet intense wind-power with no execution, and on the
golf course an endless enthusiasm with only an occasional contact. This,
dear Mrs. Cardew, is our little party. I say nothing of my husband.'"

"Go on," smiled Myra. "You have still to explain how we invite ourselves
to lunch."

"We don't; we leave that to her. All we do is to give a list of the meals
in which, in the ordinary course, we are wont to indulge, together with a
few notes on our relative capacities at each. 'Perhaps,' you wind up, 'it
is at luncheon time that as a party we show to the best advantage. Some
day, my dear Mrs. Cardew, we must all meet at lunch. You will then see
that I have exaggerated neither my husband's appetite, nor the light
conversation of my brother, nor the power of apology, should any little
_contretemps_ occur, of Mr. Samuel Simpson. Let us, I say, meet at lunch.
Let us--'" I took out my watch suddenly.

"Come on," I said, getting up and giving a hand to Myra; "we shall only
just be in time for it."

V.

THE GAMESTERS

"It's about time," said Simpson one evening, "that we went to the tables
and--er--" (he adjusted his spectacles)--"had a little flutter."

We all looked at him in silent admiration.

"Oh, Samuel," sighed Myra, "and I promised your aunt that you shouldn't
gamble while you were away."

"But, my dear Myra, it's the first thing the fellows at the club ask you
when you've been to the Riviera--if you've had any luck."

"Well, you've had a lot of luck," said Archie. "Several times when you've
been standing on the heights and calling at