, I mean;
not the German sort. Shall I start isolating you? They tell me I'm a
first-class isolater."

"No," she said, "don't do that. It sounds so heartless."

"Well," I said, "if there's anything else in reason I'm your man."

"I want you," she said, "to go to London."

"To London?" I said. "Of course I'll go. It's the very place I'm wanting
to go to. In fact, I was going there anyhow; only when you said you'd
got a headache I thought I'd stay here and help to cool your brow."

"But why," she murmured, "were you going to London anyhow?"

"Because," I said, "I've bought a season ticket. When the
ticket-collector comes round I shan't fumble in all my pockets, or
scrabble on the floor, or get red and nervous. I shall just sit tight
without looking at him and whisper 'Season' from behind my penny
_Times._ I've always wanted to be like that, and now I am it."

"But will you get your money's worth out of it?"

"Yes," I said, "if I have to travel up and down three times a day to do
it."

"And will you be an angel?" she said.

"I am. My wings are fully grown."

"Then I want you to fly for me to Jobson's."

"To Jobson's?" I said in a voice of vague alarm.

"Yes, Jobson's. The great Stores in the Bothwell Road."

"But I shall get lost," I said. "I haven't got a head for Stores.
Perhaps if I sew my address into the back of my waistcoat I might
venture, but it's an awful undertaking. And how does one dress for
Stores?"

"Oh, anyhow," she said. "And when you get there I want you to order some
stockings for the girls--about four pairs each--and three warm
undervests for John."

"But what about the size?" I said.

"You won't have any difficulty. Mention their ages, or take up a few old
sample stockings and an undervest with you. They won't be heavy to
carry. Now leave me to my headache."

Not long afterwards I was in London, having travelled up gently but
firmly as a season-ticket holder. With a beating heart I made my way to
the imposing block of buildings known as Jobson's and entered its
portals. As I did so I realised in a flash of shame that I had left my
parcel of samples in the train. I had known it would be so. I am not
accustomed to carry brown paper parcels in railway carriages, and of
course I had forgotten it. As I failed afterwards to get it back I have
the satisfaction of knowing that someone has been badly disappointed. To
carry off a parcel and then to find that it contains three stockings,
al