t the necessary decorations at Pastimes,
Charmion and I adjourned to London to buy carpets and curtains, and a
score of necessary oddments. We found it a fascinating occupation, and
grew more and more complimentary to each other as each day passed by.

"Charmion, you have exquisite taste! That's just the shade I had chosen
myself."

"You have a perfect eye for colouring, Evelyn. I always know that your
choice will be exactly my own."

Sometimes we saw the humour of these self-satisfied compliments,
sometimes we were so busy and engrossed that we accepted them
open-mouthed. I suppose in every mind personal preference is magnified
into the standard of perfection, and all the arguing in the world will
fail to convince A that he is--artistically speaking--colour-blind, or B
that her drawing-room is a bazaar of trumpery odds and ends! All the
more reason to be thankful that we agreed. We were convinced that our
taste was unique; but supposing for one moment that it was bad, we
should at least share a comfortable delusion!

The oak entrance hall was to be ornamented with old delft. The curtains
and chair coverings were to be of the same shade of blue. The parquet
floor was to be supplied with rugs of warm Eastern colours. Exactly the
right shade of violet-purple had been found for the drawing-room, and I
should be ashamed to say how many shops we ransacked for the chair
coverings, until at last we found the identical pattern to satisfy our
demands. Certainly I should be ashamed to confess what we paid for the
piece. Charmion was appallingly extravagant! That was another
discovery which I had made in the last days. It seemed as if she found
a positive satisfaction in paying abnormal prices, not with the
purse-proud bombast of the _nouveau riche_, but rather with the almost
savage relief of a slave who shakes off a few links of a hated chain. I
was a little alarmed at the total to which our purchases amounted; but I
comforted myself with the thought, nothing new would be required for a
long, long time, and that, if I found my income running short, I could
always retire to my flat, and live on a figurative twopence under
Bridget's clever management.

Charmion had heard all about the flat by this time, and had hurt my
feelings by treating the whole proposal as a ridiculous joke. She made
no attempt to dissuade me--had we not agreed never to interfere in each
other's doings?--but she laughed, and said, "Dear go