e to say. This lamentable thing
befell, bred directly by a statement of Mrs. Hauksbee that she would
spend the next season in Darjiling.

'Are you certain of that?' said Otis Yeere.

'Quite. We're writing about a house now.'

Otis Yeere 'stopped dead,' as Mrs. Hauksbee put it in discussing the
relapse with Mrs. Mallowe.

'He has behaved,' she said angrily, 'just like Captain Kerrington's pony
only Otis is a donkey at the last Gymkhana. Planted his forefeet and
refused to go on another step. Polly, my man's going to disappoint me.
What shall I do?'

As a rule, Mrs. Mallowe does not approve of staring, but on this
occasion she opened her eyes to the utmost.

'You have managed cleverly so far,'she said. 'Speak to him, and ask him
what he means.'

'I will at to-night's dance.'

'No o, not at a dance,' said Mrs. Mallowe cautiously. 'Men are never
themselves quite at dances. Better wait till to-morrow morning.'

'Nonsense. If he's going to 'vert in this insane way there isn't a day
to lose. Are you going? No? Then sit up for me, there's a dear. I shan't
stay longer than supper under any circumstances.'

Mrs. Mallowe waited through the evening, looking long and earnestly into
the fire, and sometimes smiling to herself.

'Oh! oh! oh! The man's an idiot! A raving, positive idiot! I'm sorry I
ever saw him!'

Mrs. Hauksbee burst into Mrs. Mallowe's house, at midnight, almost in
tears.

'What in the world has happened?' said Mrs. Mallowe, but her eyes showed
that she had guessed an answer.

'Happened! Everything has happened! He was there. I went to him and
said, "Now, what does this nonsense mean?" Don't laugh, dear, I can't
bear it. But you know what I mean I said. Then it was a square, and I
sat it out with him and wanted an explanation, and he said Oh! I haven't
patience with such idiots! You know what I said about going to Darjiling
next year? It doesn't matter to me where I go. I'd have changed the
Station and lost the rent to have saved this. He said, in so many words,
that he wasn't going to try to work up any more, because because he
would be shifted into a province away from Darjiling, and his own
District, where these creatures are, is within a day's journey.'

'Ah hh!' said Mrs. Mallowe, in a tone of one who has successfully
tracked an obscure word through a large dictionary.

'Did you ever hear of anything so mad so absurd? And he had the ball
at his feet. He had only to kick it! I would have made