't want me to buy things why did she shew me the shops?" She
bent forward and laid her hand on Barbara's knee. "She must he a damn
fool, don't you think so?"

Said Barbara, somewhat embarrassed:

"It's an amusement here to look at shops without any idea of buying."

"But if one wants to buy? If one has the money to buy?--I did not want
anything foolish. I saw jewels that would buy up the whole of Albania.
But I didn't want to buy up Albania. Not yet. But I saw a glass cage in
a shop window full of little chickens, and I said to Euphemia: 'I want
that. I must have those chickens.' I said, 'Give me money to go in and
buy them.' Do you know, Jaff Chayne, she refused. I said, 'Give me my
money, my husband's money, this minute, to buy those chickens in the
glass cage.' She said she couldn't give me my husband's money to spend
on chickens."

"That was very foolish of her," said Adrian solemnly, "for if there's
one thing the management of the Savoy Hotel love, it's chicken
incubators. They keep a specially heated suite of apartments for them."

"I was aware of it," said Liosha seriously. "Euphemia was not. She knows
less than nothing. I asked her for the money. She refused. I saw an
automobile close by. I entered. I said, 'Drive me to Mr. Jaff Chayne, he
will give me the money.' He asked where Mr. Jaff Chayne was. I said he
was staying with Mr. Freeth, at Northlands, Harston, Berkshire. I am not
a fool like Euphemia. I remember. I left Euphemia standing on the
sidewalk with her mouth open like that"--she made the funniest grimace
in the world--"and the automobile brought me here to get some money to
buy the chickens." She held out her hand to Jaffery.

"Confound the chickens," he cried. "It's the taxi I'm thinking
of--ticking out tuppences, to say nothing of the mileage. Liosha," said
he, in a milder roar, "it's no use thinking of buying chickens this
afternoon. It's Saturday and the shops are shut. You go home before that
automobile has ticked out bankruptcy and ruin. Go back to the Savoy and
make your peace with Euphemia, like a good girl, and on Monday I'll talk
to you about the chickens."

She sat up straight in her chair.

"You must take me somewhere else. I've got no use for Euphemia."

"But where else can I take you?" cried Jaffery aghast.

"I don't know. You know best where people go to in England. Doesn't he?"
She included us all in a smile.

"But you must go back to Euphemia till Monday, at any rate."