$22 ANGEL PAVEMENT

next time I expect youll be ready to join in the fun.
They've asked us all down for one night next week—-
they'll let us know which night—to meet some people
they know who used to be in Birmingham too."

"Well, I hope you told them I wasn't going."

"Of course I didn't Dad. The very idea!"

"Well, I'm not going."

"Why, what for?"

"Because I'm not. 'If you want to know," Mr. Smeeth
added, his voice trembling, "I've had quite enough of
}em here to-night, without going to look for some more."

His wife looked at him indignantly and sat up
straight 'That's a nice way to talk, isn't it? What harm
have they done you? It's not Fred's fault-or his wife's
fault—if you didn't enjoy yourself to-night."

"It is. If it's not their fault, whose fault is it?" Mr.
Smeeth retorted. "I can't stand him—and I can't stand
his wife—and I can't stand that jazzing girl of theirs
either. And the less Edna, or George, for that matter,
sees of that little—"

"Now just you be careful what you're saying," cried
Mrs. Smeeth. "Youll be saying something in a minute
you'll be sorry for afterwards. Now, Dad, you're tired
to-night, and I expect they were a bit too noisy for you.
Fred does get noisy when he gets going, I'll admit. But
you'll feel different about it in the morning. Let's go to
bed"

"All right. I'm ready. But understand this, Edie.
I'm not going down to Fred Mitty's this next week or
any other week. If you want to go, I can't stop you,
and if you want to ask them here again, I suppose I can't
stop you—though if he starts coming here regularly,
drinking the amount of whisky he drank to-night I'm