Mrs. Rodney sat staring out of the window until the sound of the front door being shut disturbed her thoughts. Then she smoothed her hair, sat very upright in her chair, pulled the telephone once again towards her, and rang up Mrs. Edwin. "Hullo, who are you?" she heard her sister-in-law ask. "Good morning, Dora. It's Edith speaking. How are you?" Her voice was unusually cordial, as if she hoped to establish a cheerful atmosphere even through the awkward medium of the telephone where her deliberately bright smile was lost. "I'm not feeling very well thank you, Edith. This week is always a particularly trying one for me you know, and the strain seems to be telling on me more than usual this year." "What do you say?" "I say the strain is telling on me more than usual this year. What a bad connection this is." "Yes, isn't it? I'm so sorry, but what did you say you were telling me?" "I don't know what you mean, Edith. Hullo, are you there? This is a disgraceful connection. I only said I was feeling the strain of this week very badly." "Oh! yes of course, I do sympathise with you, Dora. It's a sad time for you I know. I just wanted a word with you about to-night." "Really, Edith, I don't know that I shall be able to face a party to-night." "What do you say?" "I said that I didn't really know whether I would be able to come to-night or not." "Oh that's better now. I can hear you quite clearly. Well I do hope you'll manage to-night. We'll all be so disappointed if you can't. The children are looking forward to seeing you, and I know Grannie and Aunt Sarah are counting on it too." "I don't flatter myself that the children, as you call them, care one way or the other about me." "Oh! that's rubbish, Dora. We all hope you will come. Now, may I send the car for you?" "Don't trouble, thank you very much. It is not the lack of a car that's preventing me coming." "No of course not, I quite understand. But I really rang up just to offer you the car. Dinner is a little early you see because of the old ladies, and I thought it might be a convenience." "Very kind of you I'm sure. But as it happens I've made my own arrangements. My friend Mrs. Blythe asked me several days ago to use her car both for going and coming." "That's very nice then. I'm so glad you feel able to come after all." "I don't know that I do really. I haven't felt quite myself since Jessica's wedding. The church was very draughty near the door and I got badly chilled." "That's too bad. However, we will expect you to-night; it will be very nice to see you. Good-bye till then." "What, Edith?" "I said we would expect you to-night at quarter to eight. Good-bye for the present." "But Edith, hullo Edith, are you still there? I was just explaining that I don't feel well enough to come." "I'm so sorry, the telephone is really intolerable to-day, I didn't catch what you said." "I said I wasn't feeling quite myself."