George!"

"Shall I serve the tea now, Mem?" said the real housemaid, surveying our
greeting coldly.

"Not till Mr. Ponderevo comes, Meggie," said my aunt, and grimaced with
extraordinary swiftness and virulence as the housemaid turned her back.

"Meggie she calls herself," said my aunt as the door closed, and left me
to infer a certain want of sympathy.

"You're looking very jolly, aunt," said I.

"What do you think of all this old Business he's got?" asked my aunt.

"Seems a promising thing," I said.

"I suppose there is a business somewhere?"

"Haven't you seen it?"

"'Fraid I'd say something AT it George, if I did. So he won't let me. It
came on quite suddenly. Brooding he was and writing letters and sizzling
something awful--like a chestnut going to pop. Then he came home one
day saying Tono-Bungay till I thought he was clean off his onion, and
singing--what was it?"

"'I'm afloat, I'm afloat,'" I guessed.

"The very thing. You've heard him. And saying our fortunes were made.
Took me out to the Ho'burm Restaurant, George,--dinner, and we had
champagne, stuff that blows up the back of your nose and makes you go
SO, and he said at last he'd got things worthy of me--and we moved here
next day. It's a swell house, George. Three pounds a week for the rooms.
And he says the Business'll stand it."

She looked at me doubtfully.

"Either do that or smash," I said profoundly.

We discussed the question for a moment mutely with our eyes. My aunt
slapped the pile of books from Mudie's.

"I've been having such a Go of reading, George. You never did!"

"What do you think of the business?" I asked.

"Well, they've let him have money," she said, and thought and raised her
eyebrows.

"It's been a time," she went on. "The flapping about! Me sitting doing
nothing and him on the go like a rocket. He's done wonders. But he wants
you, George--he wants you. Sometimes he's full of hope--talks of when
we're going to have a carriage and be in society--makes it seem so
natural and topsy-turvy, I hardly know whether my old heels aren't up
here listening to him, and my old head on the floor.... Then he gets
depressed. Says he wants restraint. Says he can make a splash but can't
keep on. Says if you don't come in everything will smash--But you are
coming in?"

She paused and looked at me.

"Well--"

"You don't say you won't come in!"

"But look here, aunt," I said, "do you understand quite?... It's a quack
medicine.