about her monumental form. "I have no wish to criticise,"
she said; "but unless the Lunch Club can protect its
members against the recurrence of such—such unbe-
coming scenes, I for one—"
"Oh, so do I!" agreed Miss Glyde, rising also.
Miss Van Vluyck closed the Encyclopædia and proceed-
ed to button herself into her jacket. "My time is really too
valuable—" she began.
"I fancy we are all of one mind," said Mrs. Ballinger, looking
searchingly at Mrs. Leveret, who looked at the others.
"I always deprecate anything like a scandal—" Mrs. Plinth
continued.
"She has been the cause of one to-day!" exclaimed Miss
Glyde.
Mrs. Leveret moaned: "I don't see how she could!" and
Miss Van Vluyck said, picking up her note-book: "Some
women stop at nothing."
"—but if," Mrs. Plinth took up her argument impressively,
"anything of the kind had happened in my house" (it never
would have, her tone implied), "I should have felt that I
owed it to myself either to ask for Mrs. Roby's resigna-
tion— or to offer mine."
"Oh, Mrs. Plinth—" gasped the Lunch Club.
"Fortunately for me," Mrs. Plinth continued with an awful
magnanimity, "the matter was taken out of my hands by
HYLAND
