e
to do. Striding over to Mr. MacFie, he whispered to him and
practically dragged him away from Millie. The two of them took up
their positions near the door, where they stood staring at each other
as if wondering what was to happen next.

Mrs. Hearty from time to time beat her chest.

"It's me breath," she confided to Mr. Sopley, then subsided into
wheezing.

"Ha!" Mr. Sopley changed the angle of his gaze. Whenever spoken to he
invariably opened his mouth with a jerk, as if he had been suddenly
brought back from another world by someone hitting him in the wind. As
often as not he re-closed his mouth without further sound. It was
obvious to the most casual observer that he was here on earth because
Providence had decreed it, and not from any wish of his own.

Suddenly Alice threw open the outer door.

"Mr. Pain and 'is wife, mum," she announced.

Mr. MacFie and Mr. Hearty became instantly galvanised into activity.

"Not his wife," corrected Mrs. Bindle in a whisper.

"But she is 'is wife," protested Alice indignantly. "Ain't you, mum?"
she enquired of Mrs. Pain.

Mrs. Pain simpered her acquiescence as she turned to Mr. MacFie and
Mr. Hearty, who had raced towards her.

"You should say 'Mr. and Mrs. Pain,' Alice," said Mrs. Bindle with
quiet forbearance.

"Sorry," remarked Alice, turning to go. "I ain't used to this 'ere.
Why can't they come in without all this yelling out of names?" she
muttered. "They ain't trains."

Mr. Pain, a small man with a bald head and a tuft of black hair in the
centre of a protruding forehead, shook hands joyfully with Mr. MacFie
and Mr. Hearty. He was wearing a black frock-coat and light brown
tweed trousers, a white waistcoat and a royal blue tie. Mrs. Pain was
a tall thin woman, garbed in a narrow brown skirt with a
cream-coloured bodice, over-elaborated with lace. The sleeves of her
blouse reached only just below the elbows, and the cream gloves on her
hands failed to form a liaison with the blouse. Round her neck was
flung a locket suspended by a massive "gold" chain. Both she and Mr.
Pain were violent in their greetings, after which they proceeded over
to two chairs by the wall where they seated themselves and proceeded
to converse in undertones, Mr. Pain drawing on a pair of black kid
gloves.

"Mr. and Mrs. Withers," bawled Alice.

Mrs. Bindle nodded approval, and Mr. and Mrs. Withers shook hands with
Mr. Hearty and Mr. MacFie, much as Mr. and Mrs. Pain had done.

M