r Markham spoke of a great
bazaar that was to be held on behalf of one of the many Shakespear
Theatre movements that were then so prevalent. Was Lady Beach-Mandarin
implicated? Was anyone? He told of novel features in contemplation. He
generalized about bazaars and, with an air of having forgotten the
presence of Miss Alimony, glanced at the Suffrage Bazaar--it was a
season of bazaars. He thought poorly of the Suffrage Bazaar. The hostess
intervened promptly with anecdotes of her own cynical daring as a
Bazaar-seller, Miss Sharsper offered fragments of a reminiscence about
signing one of her own books for a Bookstall, Blenker told a well-known
Bazaar anecdote brightly and well, and the impending skirmish was
averted.

While the Bazaar talk still whacked to and fro about the table Mr.
Brumley got at Lady Harman's ear again. "Rather tantalizing these
meetings at table," he said. "It's like trying to talk while you swim in
a rough sea...."

Then Lady Beach-Mandarin intervened with demands for support for her own
particular Bazaar project and they were eating salad before there was a
chance of another word between them. "I must confess that when I want to
talk to people I like to get them alone," said Mr. Brumley, and gave
form to thoughts that were already on the verge of crystallization in
her own mind. She had been recalling that she had liked his voice
before, noting something very kindly and thoughtful and brotherly about
his right profile and thinking how much an hour's talk with him would
help to clear up her ideas.

"But it's so difficult to get one alone," said Lady Harman, and suddenly
an idea of the utmost daring and impropriety flashed into her mind. She
was on the verge of speaking it forthwith and then didn't, she met
something in his eye that answered her own and then Lady Beach-Mandarin
was foaming over them like a dam-burst over an American town.

"What do _you_ think, Mr. Brumley?" demanded Lady Beach-Mandarin.

"?"

"About Sir Markham's newspaper symposium. They asked him what allowance
he gave his wife. Sent a prepaid reply telegram."

"But he hasn't got a wife!"

"They don't stick at a little thing like that," said Sir Markham grimly.

"I think a husband and wife ought to have everything in common like the
early Christians," said Lady Beach-Mandarin. "_We_ always did," and so
got the discussion afloat again off the sandbank of Mr. Brumley's
inattention.

It was quite a good discussion and L