Archie had been rather hurt at the--as it seemed to him--unnecessary excitement about Dilly. Not that he was jealous in any way. It was rather that he was afraid it would spoil her to be made so much of at her age; make her, perhaps, egotistical and vain. But it was not Archie's way to show these fears openly. He did not weep loudly or throw things about as many boys might have done. His methods were more roundabout, more subtle. He gave hints and suggestions of his views that should have been understood by the intelligent. He said one morning with some indirectness: 'I had such a lovely dream last night, Mother.' 'Did you, pet? How sweet of you. What was it?' 'Oh, nothing much. It was all right. Very nice. It was a lovely dream. I dreamt I was in heaven.' 'Really! How delightful. Who was there?' This is always a woman's first question. 'Oh, you were there, of course. And father. Nurse, too. It was a lovely dream. Such a nice place.' 'Was Dilly there?' 'Dilly? Er--no--no--she wasn't. She was in the night nursery, with Satan.' Sometimes Edith thought that her daughter's names were decidedly a failure--Aspasia by mistake, Matilda through obstinacy, and Dilly by accident. However the child herself was a success. She was four years old when the incident occurred about the Mitchells. The whole of this story turns eventually on the Mitchells. The Ottleys lived in a concise white flat at Knightsbridge. Bruce's father had some time ago left him a good income on certain conditions; one was that he was not to leave the Foreign Office before he was fifty. One afternoon Edith was talking to the telephone in a voice of agonised entreaty that would have melted the hardest of hearts, but did not seem to have much effect on the Exchange, which, evidently, was not responsive to pathos that day. 'Oh! Exchange, _why_ are you ringing off? _Please_ try again.... Do I want any number? Yes, I do want any number, of course, or why should I ring up?... I want 6375 Gerrard.' Here Archie interposed. 'Mother, can I have your long buttonhook?' 'No, Archie, you can't just now, dear.... Go away Archie.... Yes, I said 6375 Gerrard. Only 6375 Gerrard!... Are you there? Oh, don't keep on asking me if I've got them!... No, they haven't answered.... Are you 6375?... Oh--wrong number--sorry.... 6375 Gerrard? Only six--are you there?... Not 6375 Gerrard?... Are you anyone else?... Oh, is it you, Vincy?... I want to tell you--' 'Mother, can I have your long buttonhook?' Here Bruce came in. Edith rang off. Archie disappeared. 'It's really rather wonderful, Edith, what that Sandow exerciser has done for me! You laughed at me at first, but I've improved marvellously.' Bruce was walking about doing very mild gymnastics, and occasionally hitting himself on the left arm with the right fist.' Look at my muscle--look at it--and all in such a short time!' 'Wonderful!' said Edith.