hat the
night was like, she had gone to the window of the garden-room, and been
aware that there was a light in Major Benjy's house, but when half-past
ten struck, she had despaired of company and gone to bed. A little
carol-singing in the streets gave her a Christmas feeling, and she hoped
that the singers got a nice supper somewhere.

Miss Mapp did not feel as genial as usual when she came down to
breakfast next day, and omitted to say good-morning to her rainbow of
piggies. She had run short of wool for her knitting, and Boxing Day
appeared to her a very ill-advised institution. You would have imagined,
thought Miss Mapp, as she began cracking her egg, that the tradespeople
had had enough relaxation on Christmas Day, especially when, as on this
occasion, it was immediately preceded by Sunday, and would have been all
the better for getting to work again. She never relaxed her efforts for
a single day in the year, and why----

An overpowering knocking on her front-door caused her to stop cracking
her egg. That imperious summons was succeeded by but a moment of
silence, and then it began again. She heard the hurried step of Withers
across the hall, and almost before she could have been supposed to reach
the front door, Diva burst into the room.

"Dead!" she said. "In his soup. Captain Puffin. Can't wait!"

She whirled out again and the front door banged.

Miss Mapp ate her egg in three mouthfuls, had no marmalade at all, and
putting on the Prince of Wales's cloak tripped down into the High
Street. Though all shops were shut, Evie was there with her
market-basket, eagerly listening to what Mrs. Brace, the doctor's wife,
was communicating. Though Mrs. Brace was not, strictly speaking, "in
society," Miss Mapp waived all social distinctions, and pressed her hand
with a mournful smile.

"Is it all too terribly true?" she asked.

Mrs. Brace did not take the smallest notice of her, and, dropping her
voice, spoke to Evie in tones so low that Miss Mapp could not catch a
single syllable except the word soup, which seemed to imply that Diva
had got hold of some correct news at last. Evie gave a shrill little
scream at the concluding words, whatever they were, as Mrs. Brace
hurried away.

Miss Mapp firmly cornered Evie, and heard what had happened. Captain
Puffin had gone up to bed last night, not feeling well, without having
any dinner. But he had told Mrs. Gashly to make him some soup, and he
would not want anything els