haughty and terrifying sound of suction.

The Stranger sighed. "Because I couldn't afford to buy it."

"And why could you not afford to buy the bun?" asked Miss Ford. "A big
strong girl like you."

You will notice that she had had a good deal of experience in social
work.

The Stranger said: "Up till ten o'clock this morning I was of the
leisured classes like yourselves. I had a hundred pounds."

Lady Arabel was one of the kindest people in the world, but even she
quivered at the suggestion of a common leisure. The sort of clothes the
Stranger wore Lady Arabel would have called "too dretful." If one is
well dressed one is proud, and may look an angel in the eye. If one is
really shabby one is even prouder, one often goes out of one's way to
look angels in the eye. But if one wears a squirrel fur "set," and a
dyed dress that originally cost two and a half guineas, one is damned.

"You have squandered all that money?" pursued Miss Ford.

"Yes. In ten minutes."

A thrill ran through all six members. Several mouths watered.

"I am ashamed of you," said Miss Ford. "I hope the baker will catch
you. Don't you know that your country is engaged in the greatest
conflict in history? A hundred pounds ... you might have put it in the
War Loan."

"Yes," said the Stranger, "I did. That's how I squandered it."

Miss Ford seemed to be partially drowned by this reply. One could see
her wits fighting for air.

But Lady Arabel had not committed herself, and therefore escaped this
disaster. "You behaved foolishly," she said. "We are all too dretfully
anxious to subscribe what we can spare to the War Loan, of course. But
the State does not expect more than that of us."

"God bless it," said the Stranger loudly, so that everybody blushed. "Of
course it doesn't. But it is fun, don't you think, when you are giving a
present, to exceed expectations?"

"The State--" began Lady Arabel, but was nudged into silence by Miss
Ford. "Of course it's all untrue. Don't let her think we believe her."

The Stranger heard her. Such people do not only hear with their ears.
She laughed.

"You shall see the receipt," she said.

Out of her large pocket she dragged several things before she found what
she sought. The sixth member noticed several packets labelled MAGIC,
which the Stranger handled very carefully. "Frightfully explosive," she
said.

"I believe you're drunk," said Miss Ford, as she took the receipt. It
really was a War Loan rec