t bag?" she asked.

"Is it any particular bag?" said Lalage.

"Of course it is," I said. "What on earth would be the use----?"

"Will Tithers knows what bag you mean?" said Lalage.

"He will. Now that he has influenza himself he can't help knowing."

"Off with you, Hilda."

This time Hilda started, slowly. The nurse, who evidently thought that
Hilda was being badly treated, went with her. She certainly took her as
far as the hotel door. She may have gone all the way to Titherington's
house. Lalage sat down opposite me and lit a cigarette.

"We are having a high old time," she said. "Now that Tithers is gone and
O'Donoghue, who appears to be rather an ass, professes to have a sore
throat----"

She winked at me.

"Do you suspect him of having influenza?" I asked.

"Of course, but he won't own up if he can help it."

"Vittie is only shamming," I said. "Titherington told me so, he may
emerge at any moment."

"It's just like Tithers to say that. The one thing he cannot do is speak
the truth. As a matter of fact Vittie is in a dangerous condition. His
aunt told me so."

"Have you been to see him."

"No. The aunt came round to us this morning with tears in her eyes, and
begged us to spare Vittie."

"I suppose the things you have been saying about him have made him
worse."

"According to his aunt they keep him in such an excitable state that he
can't sleep. I told her I was jolly glad to hear it. That just shows the
amount of good the A.S.P.L. is doing in the district. It's making its
power felt in every direction."

"If Vittie dies------"

"He won't. That sort of man never does. I'm sorry for the aunt of
course. She seemed a quiet, respectable sort of woman and, curiously
enough, very fond of Vittie. I told her that I'd do anything I
conscientiously could to lull off Vittie, but that I had my duty to
perform. And I have, you know. I'm clearing the air."

"It wants it badly. McMeekin told me two days ago he had forty cases and
there are evidently a lot more now."

"I'm not talking about microbes," said Lalage. "What I'm talking about
is the moral 'at'."

I thought for a moment.

--"titude?" I ventured to suggest.

"No," said Lalage, "--mosphere. It wants it far worse than the other
air. I had no idea till I took on this job that politics are such utter
sinks as they are. What you tell me now about Vittie is just another
example of what I mean. I dare say now it will turn out that he went
to bed i