made of little gold Aztec idols that were found in a grave.
They are very rare; a gentleman gave them to me, and afterwards I was
horrified to find that he had paid an awful lot for them, L200, I
believe. Do you understand about the Aztec gods? If not I will explain
them all to you. This big one in the middle is Huitzilcoatl, the god
of----"

"No, no," interrupted Godfrey, "I don't and I don't want to. I think
them very ugly, and I always understood that ladies did not accept such
expensive presents from gentlemen. Who was he?"

"An American millionaire who didn't wear armour," she answered blandly.
Then she changed the subject with the original remark that the swallows
were flying higher than they had done on the previous evening, when
they looked as though one could almost catch them with one's hand.

Godfrey reflected to himself that other things which had seemed quite
close on the previous night were now like the swallows, far out of
reach. Only he took comfort in the remembrance that swallows, however
near, are evasive birds, not easy to seize unless you can find them
sleeping. Next she began to tell him all about the Mexican gods,
whether he wanted to listen or not, and he sat there in the glory of
his new clothes and brilliantined hair, and gazed at her till she asked
him to desist as she felt as though she were being mesmerised.

This led him to his spiritualistic experiences of which he told her all
the story, and by the time it was finished, behold! it was the luncheon
hour.

"It is very interesting," she said as they entered the Hall, "and I
can't laugh at it all as I should have done once, I don't quite know
why. But I hope, Godfrey, that you will have no more to do with
spirits."

"No, not while----" and he looked at her.

"While what?"

"While--there are such nice bodies in the world," he stammered,
colouring.

She coloured also, tossed her head, and went to wash her hands.

The afternoon they spent in hunting for imaginary young jackdaws in a
totally nebulous tree. Isobel grew rather cross over its non-discovery,
swearing that she remembered it well years ago, and that there were
always young jackdaws there.

"Perhaps it has been cut down," suggested Godfrey. "I am told that your
father has been improving the place a great deal in that kind of way,
so as to make it up to date and scientific and profitable, and all the
rest of it. Also if it hasn't, there would have been no young jackdaws,