Major's score) and took her peep
at the sweet stars. The light from the hall shone full into the
potting-shed, but there was nobody there. She made quite sure of that.

Diva had heard about the sweet stars, and for the first time in her life
made no objection to her adversaries' total.

"You're right, Major Flint, eighteen-pence," she said. "Stupid of me:
I've left my handkerchief in the pocket of my cloak. I'll pop out and
get it. Back in a minute. Cut again for partners."

She trundled to the door and popped out of it before Miss Mapp had the
slightest chance of intercepting her progress. This was bitter, because
the dining-room opened out of the hall, and so did the book-cupboard
with a window which dear Susan called her boudoir. Diva was quite
capable of popping into both of these apartments. In fact, if the
truants were there, it was no use bothering about the sweet stars any
more, and Diva would already have won....

There was a sweet moon as well, and just as baffled Miss Mapp was
turning away from the window, she saw that which made her positively
glue her nose to the cold window-pane, and tuck the curtain in, so that
her silhouette should not be visible from outside. Down the middle of
the garden path came the two truants, Susan in her sables and Mr. Wyse
close beside her with his coat-collar turned up. Her ample form with the
small round head on the top looked like a short-funnelled locomotive
engine, and he like the driver on the foot-plate. The perfidious things
had said they were going to consult over the orchid. Did orchids grow on
the lawn? It was news to Miss Mapp if they did.

They stopped, and Mr. Wyse quite clearly pointed to some celestial
object, moon or star, and they both gazed at it. The sight of two such
middle-aged people behaving like this made Miss Mapp feel quite sick,
but she heroically continued a moment more at her post. Her heroism was
rewarded, for immediately after the inspection of the celestial object,
they turned and inspected each other. And Mr. Wyse kissed her.

Miss Mapp "scriggled" from behind the curtain into the room again.

"Aldebaran!" she said. "So lovely!"

Simultaneously Diva re-entered with her handkerchief, thwarted and
disappointed, for she had certainly found nobody either in the boudoir
or in the dining-room. But there was going to be a sit-down supper, and
as Boon was not there, she had taken a _marron glace_.

Miss Mapp was flushed with excitement and disg