MRS. AMES BY E. F. BENSON AUTHOR OF “DODO,” “THE ANGEL OF PAIN,” “THE CLIMBER,” “JUGGERNAUT,” ETC., ETC. TORONTO THE MUSSON BOOK COMPANY LIMITED LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED, BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET. S. F., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. CHAPTER I Certainly the breakfast tongue, which was for the first time that morning, was not of the pleasant reddish hue which Mrs. Altham was justified in expecting considering that the delicacy in question was not an ordinary tinned tongue (you had to take things as you found them, if your false sense of economy led you to order tinned goods) but one that came out of a fine glass receptacle with an eminent label on it. It was more of the colour of cold mutton, unattractive if not absolutely unpleasant to the eye, while to the palate it proved to be singularly lacking in flavour. Altogether it was a great disappointment, and for reason, when Mr. Altham set out at a quarter-past twelve to stroll along to the local club in Queensgate Street with the ostensible purpose of seeing if there was any fresh telegram about the disturbances in Morocco, his wife accompanied him to the door of that desirable mansion, round which was grouped a variety of chained-up dogs in various states of boredom and irritation, and went on into the High Street in order to make in person a justifiable complaint at her grocer’s. She would be sorry to have to take her custom elsewhere, but if Mr. Pritchard did not see his way to sending her another tongue (of course without further charge) she would be obliged....