was me. They knew I was behind. I could feel
that absolutely always; it's not just eyes and ears we use, there's us
ourselves to consider, though God alone knows what that means. But
the password was there, as you might say; and they all knew I knew it,
all--except'--he looked up as if in bewilderment--'except just one, a
poor old lady, a very old friend of my mother's, whom I--I Sabathiered!'

'Whom--you--Sabathiered!' repeated Herbert carefully, with infinite
relish, looking sidelong at his visitor. 'And it is just precisely
that....'

But at that moment his sister appeared in the doorway to say that supper
was ready. And it was not until Herbert was actually engaged in carving
a cold chicken that he followed up his advantage. 'Mr. Lawford, Grisel,'
he said, 'has just enriched our jaded language with a new verb--to
Sabathier. And if I may venture to define it in the presence of
the distinguished neologist himself, it means, "To deal with
histrionically"; or, rather, that's what it will mean a couple of
hundred years hence. For the moment it means, "To act under the
influence of subliminalization; To perplex, or bemuse, or estrange
with OTHERNESS." Do tell us, Lawford, more about the little old lady.'
He passed with her plate a little meaningful glance at his sister, and
repeated, 'Do!'

'But I've been plaguing your sister enough already. You'll wish...'
Lawford began, and turned his tired-out eyes towards those others
awaiting them so frankly they seemed in their perfect friendliness
a rest from all his troubles. 'You see,' he went on, 'what I kept on
thinking and thinking of was to get a quite unbiased and unprejudiced
view. She had known me for years, though we had not actually met more
than once or twice since my mother's death. And there she was sitting
with me at the other end of just such another little seat as'--he
turned--to Herbert 'as ours, at Widderstone. It was on Bewley Common: I
can see it all now; it was sunset. And I simply turned and asked her in
a kind of a whining affected manner if she remembered me; and when after
a long time she came round to owning that to all intents and purposes
she did not--I professed to have made a mistake in recognising her. I
think,' he added, glancing up from one to the other of his two strange
friends, 'I think it was the meanest trick I can remember.'

'H'm,' said Herbert solemnly: 'I wish I had as sensitive a conscience.
But as your old friend didn't recognise yo