nflection of scorn. "There's
no sense in it. But as I was saying--where are you going to find better
food than salmon and roast lamb, new potatoes, asparagus, peas--of
course they're forced, but they're English--and so on?" He threw down
the card and took off his glasses. "Everything grown on the place except
the salmon, which old Humphrey Meadshire sent me."

"You've left out the 'Peche a la Melba'," said Mrs. Beach. "It is the
crowning point of the whole dinner. But I quite agree with you, Edward,
you couldn't have a better one anywhere."

"Rather on the heavy side," commented Humphrey.

"Not at all," said Mr. Birket. "The fruits of the earth in due season,
or, if possible, a little before it; that's the best dinner any man can
have."

"Every country has its own cooking," said Mrs. Birket. "I really think
the English is the best if it is well done."

"Which it very seldom is," said Mrs. Graham.

"Of course this is the very best time of all the year for it," said the
Rector. "Did you bring back any new curry recipes from India, Jim?"

Jim replied that he had not, and the Squire said, "By the bye, Jim, I
see that fellow Mackenzie came home in the _Punjaub_. The papers are
full of him this evening. Did you happen to meet him?"

Jim said that he had shared the same cabin, and that Mackenzie had
promised to spend a week-end at Mountfield some time or other.

"We are going to make a lion of him in London," said Humphrey. "We
haven't had an explorer for a long time. I believe he's shaggy enough to
be a great success."

"You must bring him over to dine, Jim," said the Squire. "It's
interesting to hear about these fellows who trot all over the world. But
heavens, what a life!"

"A very good life, I think," said Mr. Birket. "Not much chance to get
moss-grown."

"Now, I'm sure that is a dig at us people who live in the country," said
Mrs. Beach. "Because _you_ don't get moss-grown, Mr. Birket."

"He would if he lived in the country," said Mrs. Birket. "He would lie
on his back all day long and do nothing at all. He has an unequalled
power of doing nothing."

"Not at all," said Mr. Birket. "I'm a very hard worker. Cicely caught me
at it at six o'clock this morning, didn't you, my dear?"

"You've no responsibilities, Herbert," the Squire broke in. "If you
owned land you wouldn't want to lie on your back."

"He is trying to make the land lie on _our_ backs," said Dick. "We
shan't have any left soon."

"All you