that she'd heard of Xingu." And this was felt by the other
members to be graceful way of cancelling once for all the
club's obligation to Mrs. Roby.
Even Mrs. Leveret took courage to speed a timid shaft
of irony. "I fancy Osric Dane hardly expected to take a
lesson in Xingu at Hillbridge!"
Mrs. Ballinger smiled. "When she asked me what we rep-
resented—do you remember?—I wish I'd simply said we
represented Xingu!"
All the ladies laughed appreciatively at this sally, except
Mrs. Plinth, who said, after a moment's deliberation: "I'm
not sure it would have been wise to do so."
Mrs. Ballinger, who was already beginning to feel as if
she had launched at Osric Dane the retort which had just
occurred to her, turned ironically on Mrs. Plinth. "May I
ask why?" she enquired.
Mrs. Plinth looked grave. "Surely," she said, "I understood
from Mrs. Roby herself that the subject was one it was as
well not to go into too deeply?"
Miss Van Vluyck rejoined with precision: "I think that
applied only to an investigation of the origin of the—of
the—"; and suddenly she found that her usually accurate
memory had failed her. "It's a part of the subject I never
studied myself," she concluded.
"Nor I," said Mrs. Ballinger.
Laura Glyde bent toward them with widened eyes. "And
HYLAND
