rsday, and it's
THERE she's gone, of course; and taken Osric with her!"

"And they're shrieking over us at this moment," said Mrs. Ballinger
between her teeth.

This possibility seemed too preposterous to be admitted. "She would
hardly dare," said Miss Van Vluyck, "confess the imposture to Osric
Dane."

"I'm not so sure: I thought I saw her make a sign as she left. If she
hadn't made a sign, why should Osric Dane have rushed out after her?"

"Well, you know, we'd all been telling her how wonderful Xingu was, and
she said she wanted to find out more about it," Mrs. Leveret said, with
a tardy impulse of justice to the absent.

This reminder, far from mitigating the wrath of the other members, gave
it a stronger impetus.

"Yes--and that's exactly what they're both laughing over now," said
Laura Glyde ironically.

Mrs. Plinth stood up and gathered her expensive furs about her
monumental form. "I have no wish to criticise," she said; "but unless
the Lunch Club can protect its members against the recurrence of
such--such unbecoming scenes, I for one--"

"Oh, so do I!" agreed Miss Glyde, rising also.

Miss Van Vluyck closed the Encyclopaedia and proceeded to button herself
into her jacket. "My time is really too valuable--" she began.

"I fancy we are all of one mind," said Mrs. Ballinger, looking
searchingly at Mrs. Leveret, who looked at the others.

"I always deprecate anything like a scandal--" Mrs. Plinth continued.

"She has been the cause of one to-day!" exclaimed Miss Glyde.

Mrs. Leveret moaned: "I don't see how she COULD!" and Miss Van Vluyck
said, picking up her note-book: "Some women stop at nothing."

"--but if," Mrs. Plinth took up her argument impressively, "anything
of the kind had happened in MY house" (it never would have, her tone
implied), "I should have felt that I owed it to myself either to ask for
Mrs. Roby's resignation--or to offer mine."

"Oh, Mrs. Plinth--" gasped the Lunch Club.

"Fortunately for me," Mrs. Plinth continued with an awful magnanimity,
"the matter was taken out of my hands by our President's decision that
the right to entertain distinguished guests was a privilege vested in
her office; and I think the other members will agree that, as she was
alone in this opinion, she ought to be alone in deciding on the best way
of effacing its--its really deplorable consequences."

A deep silence followed this unexpected outbreak of Mrs. Plinth's
long-stored resentment.

"I d