everyone else, and had been silent so far because she had been having the state of the case explained in her ear by Mrs. Whitley.

“Don’t mind, Emma,” she said suddenly, “That ridiculous dog is in everyone’s way, It should be got rid of.” Turning to the embarrassed Mrs. Whitley, she made what appeared to be indignant comments on Miss Semaphore, the obnoxious word “old maid” being distinctly audible.

At this awful crisis the boarders stared panic-stricken at Miss Semaphore.

Miss Semaphore, under other circumstances, would have justified their apprehensions. Even she, however, saw it was no use quarrelling with a deaf woman endowed with a terrible tongue. Accordingly, she simply muttered, “Disgraceful!—ill-bred!” and something about “the result of association with such persons,” and relapsed into an oppressive silence.

The innocent little dribble of talk dried up 27before the sirocco of her suppressed wrath. A silence that might be felt reigned in the drawing-room. Though glances were interchanged, no one ventured to speak except Mrs. Belcher. She, greatly daring, and with the evident intention of flouting both Miss Semaphore and Toutou, addressed her daughter on all manner of subjects, compelling that unhappy young person to reply at the top of her voice. Miss Prudence, who always shrank from her sister’s outbursts, buried herself timidly in the pages of the Lady’s Pictorial and tried to look as if she had heard nothing.

27

When this painful state of things had lasted for some time, Mrs. Dumaresq, by way of creating a diversion, said in her most fascinating manner,

“That dreadful Mr. Morley has been making another speech. I’m sure it is a wonder how anyone can be found to listen to him. Radicals and Socialists and those sort of people really ought to be locked up.”

“Perhaps, on their side, they think Tories should be locked up,” said Miss Stott, a thick-set young person with views.

“No doubt they do,” answered Mrs. Dumaresq with energy. “No doubt, if they 28could, they would have all the aristocracy beheaded. As my dear friend, the Baroness de la Veille Roche, once said to me, ‘My darling Mimi, the canaille would wade in our blood if they dared.’”

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canaille

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