that I had got a bargain and she must have it down. I replied that it
was a fixture, though I meant that I was, and that no one had ever been
known to find a bargain in a Japanese shop. Then she grew plaintive;
"I think you might please me in this, Godfrey," she said.

The time had come for me to take Nina into my confidence. Mrs.
Faulkner's eyes were fixed on the plate and her back was turned to me;
I poked out one leg tentatively and Nina understood. There was one
splendid thing about Nina, you could always rely upon her in a crisis.
She took up a chair at once and said that she would get the plate down;
she added that unless I sat still after meals I might have very bad
indigestion, but that was too much for Mrs. Faulkner.

"I shouldn't think Godfrey has had indigestion in his life," she said.
"I don't believe he has ever heard of pepsine. He is in a
disgracefully bad temper; there is nothing else the matter with him as
far as I can see."

"He was a very delicate child," Nina answered, "and has always been
quite disgracefully spoilt. He never does anything which he doesn't
like." I felt that Nina was over-playing her part, but I could not
defend myself.

"It is so nice having Nina here to do things for me," I said meekly;
"and I hope you don't mind me treating you as if you are a relation," I
added to Mrs. Faulkner.

"I do mind very much; nothing is an excuse for being lazy and
ill-natured. I was brought up in the old school, I suppose," she
answered, and I wished to goodness she had never left it.

Nina got up on the chair and pretended that she could not reach the
plate.

"Now if you stood up here you could reach it," she said, turning round
to Mrs. Faulkner.

"But Godfrey will surely not allow me to do that," she replied.

"I always said that you were taller than Nina," I could not help
remarking, for Nina prided herself on being about three inches taller
than she was; and she had said all sorts of things about me.

"I wonder if I could reach the plate," Mrs. Faulkner said.

"It would be rather a sporting thing to try," I answered. "Nina
couldn't reach it."

"I think not," she returned; "I might fall over backwards." And she
sat down carefully in my biggest arm-chair.

My scout came in to clear away breakfast, and the situation was
desperate. I picked up a piece of toast hastily and told him to come
back in half-an-hour. Mrs. Faulkner had taken her seat behind me, and
I could only tur