effort my sister recovered herself and took one with a shaking
hand. Loyally Jill followed her example, and, with tears running down
her cheeks, induced a glutinous slab to quit the silver, to which it
clung desperately.

I declined the delicacy.

With compressed lips the servant offered it to my brother-in-law.

Berry shook his head.

"Mother wouldn't like me to," he said. "But I can see it's very tasty."
He turned to his wife. "What a wonderful thing perfume is! You know, the
smell of burnt fat always makes me think of the Edgware Road at dusk."

"Hush," said I, consulting the _menu_. "_De mortuis._ Those were banana
fritters. That slimy crust enshrined the remains of a once succulent
fruit."

"What?" said Berry. "Like beans in amber? How very touching! I suppose
undertakers are easier than cooks. Never mind. It's much cheaper. I
shan't want to be reminded of food for several days now." He looked
across the table to Daphne. "After what I've just seen, I feel I can
give the savoury a miss. Do you agree, darling? Or has the fritter acted
as an _aperitif_?"

My sister addressed herself to Jill.

"Don't eat it, dear. It's--it's not very nice." She rose. "Shall we go?"

Gloomily we followed her into the library, where I opened all the
windows and Berry lighted a huge cigar, in the hope of effacing the
still pungent memory of the unsavoury sweet. Gradually it faded away....

Three weeks had passed since the mistress of our kitchen, who had
reigned uninterruptedly for seven years, had been knocked down by a taxi
and sustained a broken leg. Simple though the fracture fortunately was,
at least another nine weeks must elapse before she could attempt to
resume her duties, and we were in evil case. Every day we became more
painfully aware of the store which we had unconsciously set by
decently-cooked food. As time went on, the physical and mental disorder,
consequent upon Mrs. Mason's accident, became more and more pronounced.
All topics of conversation became subservient to the burning question of
filling the void occasioned by her absence. Worst of all,
dissatisfaction was rampant in the servants' hall, and Daphne's maid had
hinted broadly that, if a cook was not shortly forthcoming, resignations
would be--an intimation which made us desperate. Moreover, in another
month we were due to leave Town and repair to White Ladies. There, deep
in the country, with no restaurants or clubs to fall back upon, we
should be whol