MR. SMEETH IS REASSURED 8l

"Don't you worry yourself, Dad, why Mr. Dersing-
ham did anything/* his wife interrupted. "Think he's
spending his time worrying about you? Not him! And
don't you bother your old head about him, either. Let's
have a bit o' music. It'll cheer us up." She bounced
over to the corner in which George, who had a head foi
these things, had fixed up that tangle of wires which still
passes by the name of "wireless," a loud speaker appa-
ratus. "What starts it? I can never remember/' she
said, with one hand hovering over the various knobs.
"Is it this thing you pull out?"

It must have been, for she pulled it, and immediately
a loud, patronising voice filled the room. "Let us turn to
anothuh aspect of this problam," it shouted. "As we have
already seen—ah—a company cannot barrow unless it is
aixpressly authorised—that is, authorised by its memo-
randum of association—ah—to do so. Let us see what
this invalves. Suppose a companay has been formed
for the purpose—we will say—ah—of discounting cam-
mercial bills—"

"Oh, help!" cried Mrs. Smeeth, and promptly turned
the voice out of the room. "A lot of cheering up you'll
do!" she told the loud speaker severely. "Look in the
paper and see when the singing and playing comes
on."

There was a glimpse of Edna, all dressed up, very
white about the nose, very red about the lips.

"Where're you going, Edna?" her mother shrieked.

"Out."

"Who with?"

"Minnie Watson."

"Well, don't be late then, you and your Minnie
Watson." A bang of the front door was Edna's only