BREAKFAST
before you were quite sure you'd lost the others, haven't you, Mr. Rossiter? Only fancy,"—she looked round to collect the attention of the breakfasters; there was a sensation to follow—" Annie found three good ones, really good ones, under the wardrobe, when she was turning out your room."
"I can't think how they get there," he protested, conscious of inanity.
"Perhaps they took little legs unto themselves and walked," suggested Hilary Bevel.
"Perhaps the wardrobe got up in the night and sat on top of them," bettered Miss Emily.
There was a rustle of laughter, and she cast down her eyes with a deprecatory titter.
The remark was a success. It was really funny. It was received by Mrs. Russel with a warm benignity: "Really, Emily, you do say silly things." She laughed her gentle breathy laugh, gazing at Mr. Rossiter, who wriggled.
"I say—er—Bevel, when you've finished with that newspaper———"
Jervis Bevel looked insolently at him over the top of the paper. "Sorry, I've only just begun. I left it lying on your plate some
5
