u," we all shouted; but I swear I was first.

"Yes."

"I don't think that's a very subtle definition," said Dennis. "You
promised to be as subtle as possible."

"Go on, dear," said Gerald to his wife.

"Well, this is rather awkward. Mine is----"

"Emu," I suggested.

"You must wait till she has defined it," said Norah sternly.

"Mine is a sort of feathered animal."

"Emu," I said again. In fact, we all said it.

Gerald coughed. "Mine," he said, "isn't exactly a--fish, because it----"

"Emu," said everybody.

"That was subtler," said Dennis, "but it didn't deceive us."

"Your turn," said Norah to me. And they all leant forward ready to say
"Emu."

"Mine," I said, "is--all right, Dennis, you needn't look so excited--is
a word I once heard a man say at the Zoo."

There was a shriek of "Emu!"

"Wrong," I said.

Everybody was silent.

"Where did he say it?" asked Norah at last. "What was he doing?"

"He was standing outside the Emu's cage."

"It must have been Emu."

"It wasn't."

"Perhaps there's another animal beginning with 'e' and ending with 'u,'"
suggested Dennis. "He might have said,'Look here, I'm tired of this old
Emu, let's go and see the E-doesn't-mu,' or whatever it's called."

"We shall have to give it up," said Norah at last. "What is it?"

"Ebu," I announced. "My man had a bad cold, and he said, 'Look, Baria,
there's ad Ebu.' Er--what do I get for that?"

"Nothing," said Norah coldly. "It isn't fair. Now, Mr. Dennis."

"Mine is _not_ Emu, and it couldn't be mistaken for Emu; not even if you
had a sore throat and a sprained ankle. And it has nothing to do with
the Zoo, and----"

"Well, what is it?"

"It's what you say at golf when you miss a short putt."

"I doubt it," I said.

"Not what Gerald says," said his wife.

"Well, it's what you might say. What Horace would have said."

"'Eheu'--good," said Gerald, while his wife was asking "Horace who?"

We moved on to the next word, P--D.

"Mine," said Norah, "is what you might do to a man whom you didn't like,
but it's a delightful thing to have and at the same time you would hate
to be in it."

"Are you sure you know what you are talking about, dear?" said Mrs.
Gerald gently.

"Quite," said Norah with the confidence of extreme youth.

"Could you say it again very slowly," asked Dennis, "indicating by
changes in the voice which character is speaking?"

She said it again.

"'Pound,'" said Gerald. "Good--one to me."