o still remained in
attendance on her, with the pathetic unwillingness of a crew to leave a
foundering treasure ship which might yet be steered into port, found
little pleasure in these Bohemian festivities; to see 'good money'
lavished on good living for the entertainment of a nondescript circle
of acquaintances who were not likely to be in any way socially useful
to them, did not attune them to a spirit of revelry. They contrived,
whenever possible, to excuse themselves from participation in their
aunt's deplored gaieties; the Brimley Bomefield headaches became famous.

"And one day the nieces came to the conclusion that, as they would have
expressed it, 'no useful purpose would be served' by their continued
attendance on a relative who had so thoroughly emancipated herself from
the sheltering protection of their wings. The aunt bore the
announcement of their departure with a cheerfulness that was almost
disconcerting.

"'It's time you went home and had those headaches seen to by a
specialist,' was her comment on the situation.

"The homeward journey of the Brimley Bomefields was a veritable retreat
from Moscow, and what made it the more bitter was the fact that the
Moscow, in this case, was not overwhelmed with fire and ashes, but
merely extravagantly over-illuminated.

"From mutual friends and acquaintances they sometimes get glimpses of
their prodigal relative, who has settled down into a confirmed gambling
maniac, living on such salvage of income as obliging moneylenders have
left at her disposal.

"So you need not be surprised," concluded Clovis, "if they do wear a
depressed look in public."

"Which is Veronique?" asked the Baroness.

"The most depressed-looking of the three," said Clovis.

THE PEACE OFFERING

"I want you to help me in getting up a dramatic entertainment of some
sort," said the Baroness to Clovis. "You see, there's been an election
petition down here, and a member unseated and no end of bitterness and
ill-feeling, and the County is socially divided against itself. I
thought a play of some kind would be an excellent opportunity for
bringing people together again, and giving them something to think of
besides tiresome political squabbles."

The Baroness was evidently ambitious of reproducing beneath her own
roof the pacifying effects traditionally ascribed to the celebrated
Reel of Tullochgorum.

"We might do something on the lines of Greek tragedy," said Clovis,
after due