town."

"There you are," said Berry. "My very words. Over and over again I
insisted----"

"If you mean," said Jonah, "that throughout the argument you confined
yourself to destructive criticism, deliberate confusion of the issues,
and the recommendation of solutions which you knew to be impracticable,
I entirely agree."

"The trouble with you," said Berry, "is that you don't appreciate the
value of controversy. I don't blame you. Considering the backlash in
your spinal cord, I think you talk very well. It's only when----"

"What exactly," said Adele, bubbling, "is the value of controversy?"

"Its unique ability," said Berry, "to produce the truth. The hotter
the furnace of argument, the harder the facts which eventually emerge.
That's why I never spare myself. I don't pretend it's easy, but then
I'm like that. Somebody offers you a drink. The easiest way is to
refuse. But I don't. I always ask myself whether my health demands
it."

There was an outraged silence.

Then--

"I have noticed," I observed, "that upon such occasions your brain
works very fast. Also that you invariably choose the--er--harder path."

"Nothing is easier," said Berry, "than to deride infirmity." Having
compassed the Place Royale, we returned to the Boulevard. "And now, if
you've quite finished maundering over the beauties of a landscape which
you can't see, supposing we focussed on the object with which we set
out. I've thought out a new step, I want to show you. It's called
'The Slip Stitch.' Every third beat you stagger and cross your legs
above the knee. That shows you've been twice to the Crusades. Then
you purl two and cast four off. If you're still together, you get up
and repeat to the end of the row knitways, decreasing once at every
turn. Then you cast off very loosely."

Happily the speaker was in the other car, so we broke away and fled up
the Rue du Lycee....

The dancing-room was crowded. Every English visitor seemed to be
there, but they were not all dancing, and the floor was just pleasantly
full.

As we came in, I touched Adele on the arm.

"Will you dance with me, lass?"

I was not one moment too soon.

As I spoke, two gallants arrived to lodge their claims.

"I've accepted my husband," said Adele, smiling.

She had to promise the next and the one after.

Whilst we were dancing, she promised the fourth and the fifth.

"I can see," said I, "that I'm in for my usual evening. Of course,