ing for it to ring. Then, at a quarter to five, just when he felt
he couldn't stand it any longer, and was about to ring up his wife
instead of waiting for her to ring him up, he saw a burly shadow behind
the glass door, and gave a desolate sigh. That shadow could only be
thrown by one person, and that person was his Worship the Mayor of
Bursley. His Worship entered the private office with mayoral assurance,
pulling in his wake a stout old lady whom he introduced as his aunt
from Wolverhampton. And he calmly proposed that Mr Blackshaw should
show the mayoral aunt over the new Electricity Works!

Mr Blackshaw was sick of showing people over the Works. Moreover, he
naturally despised the Mayor. All permanent officials of municipalities
thoroughly despise their mayors (up their sleeves). A mayor is here
today and gone tomorrow, whereas a permanent official is permanent. A
mayor knows nothing about anything except his chain and the rules of
debate, and he is, further, a tedious and meddlesome person--in the
opinion of permanent officials.

So Mr Blackshaw's fury at the inept appearance of the Mayor and the
mayoral aunt at this critical juncture may be imagined. The worst of it
was, he didn't know how to refuse the Mayor.

Then the telephone-bell rang.

'Excuse me,' said Mr Blackshaw, with admirably simulated politeness,
going to the instrument. 'Are you there? Who is it?'

'It's me, darling,' came the thin voice of his wife far away at
Bleakridge. 'The water's just getting hot. We're nearly ready. Can you
come now?'

'By Jove! Wait a moment!' exclaimed Mr Blackshaw, and then turning to
his visitors, 'Did you hear that?'

'No,' said the Mayor.

'All those three new dynamos that they've got at the Hanbridge
Electricity Works have just broken down. I knew they would. I told them
they would!'

'Dear, dear!' said the Mayor of Bursley, secretly delighted by this
disaster to a disdainful rival. 'Why! They'll have the town in
darkness. What are they going to do?'

'They want me to go over at once. But, of course, I can't. At least, I
must give myself the pleasure of showing you and this lady over our
Works, first.'

'Nothing of the kind, Mr Blackshaw!' said the Mayor. 'Go at once. Go at
once. If Bursley can be of any assistance to Hanbridge in such a
crisis, I shall be only too pleased. We will come tomorrow, won't we,
auntie?'

Mr Blackshaw addressed the telephone.

'The Mayor is here, with a lady, and I was just