ANGEL 1'AVEMENT

and then Evelyn had to work desperately hard to make
sure that they did not arrive at the Club together.
Evelyn herself, who had once been sent flying between
them like an amused shuttlecock, did not take sides,
except perhaps in certain minor differences, but pre-
served an amiable detachment, not unlike that of a good
old referee. Everything was complicated by the fact that
all three of them were rather eccentric. All this was very
strange to Miss Matfield, whose parents adored one
another in their dull elderly fashion and were, anyhow,
far too sensible and too busy for such alarms and excur-
sions; but the actual novelty of it had passed. So she
merely prepared herself to listen to yet another instal-
ment of the Ansdell family row saga.

"It all began with a letter from Mother," Miss Ansdell
continued excitedly. "It came this afternoon. My dear,
the maddest letter. But the point is, Mother's going to
run a shop, selling antiques. I forget the name of the
place, but anyhow she's actually got the shop and it's a
marvellous place, all oak beams and bow windows and
all that, and rich motorists stopping every minute.
That's not so crazy as it sounds, because Mother does
really know about antiques and old embroideries and
things like that, and could make anybody buy anything
if she wanted to. And she wants me to go and live with
her, and help her in the shop."

"Oh, lord!" Miss Matfield groaned. "But you're not
going, are you? She's wanted you to go before, hasn't
she?"

"Yes, but this is rather different. Quite different, in
fact. It really would be rather fun helping her in a shop,
I'd much rather do that, swindling the rich motorists,
than go on with this secretary rot. You know how I