d John plaintively; "I've been wanting to say
what I really think of your brother for years."

"Well, don't do it now. Things are miserable enough without having
discussions on Arthur. Let's all have a game at something, shall we?"

"Splendid idea," said her brother. "What about tennis?"

"We might get into bathing togs and play polo," I suggested.

"That's not a bad notion," said John, "and then he needn't have a wash
until to-morrow."

"I suggest," continued Miss Davies, "that we play at Word Chains."

Davies buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"It sounds fine," I said gallantly. "What is it?"

"Well, it's really a sort of mind exercise. They recommend it in those
courses, you know," said Miss Davies, "er--'it stimulates a logical
sequence in reasoning and quickens the mental processes.'"

"Is that what they say about it?" asked John fearfully.

"But it makes a splendid game," added Miss Davies eagerly. "Let me explain
it to you and you'll see. First of all we think of a word, such as--er--
'margarine.'"

"Why?" asked John.

"It's part of the game, of course," said Miss Davies indignantly.

"Oh, I see--of course. How stupid of me!" said John.

"Then we think of another word quite different, such as--"

"'Hippopotamus,'" I suggested.

"That's right," said Miss Davies.

I stood up and bowed.

"Well, I'm hanged!" said John. "Jolly good, Alan. However did you guess it?
Has he won?" he asked Miss Davies.

"Of course not," said she; "we haven't begun yet."

I sat down again hurriedly.

"Then," continued Miss Davies, "we take turns, starting with the word
'margarine' and making a chain, each word being connected in some way with
the one before it. And whoever can get to the word 'hippopotamus' first has
won."

"One hippopotamus?" asked John.

"WON," said Miss Davies sweetly.

Her brother groaned again.

"I'll just give you an easy example," went on Miss Davies enthusiastically,
"and then we'll begin. Take the words 'fire' and 'nigger.' A good chain
would be 'fire--coal--black--nigger.' Do you see?

John and I made sounds expressing that we thought we did. Davies just went
on groaning.

"Very well," said Miss Davies, "we'll begin. Now don't forget. We start
with 'margarine' and try to get to 'hippopotamus.' The great thing is to
keep the word 'hippopotamus' in your mind all the time and keep trying to
work towards it. Are you ready? Right! I'll start with 'grease.'"

"Greece?" said J