"It boils not, neither does it sing." "For which piece of irreverence you will do something on Thursday." "My dear girl," I said hurriedly, "if it were not imperative for me to be in Town--" "You will do something on Thursday." I groaned. "And this," I said, "this is my mother's daughter! We have been nursed together, scolded together, dandled in the same arms. If she had not been the stronger of the two, we should have played with the same toys." I groaned again. Berry opened his eyes. "The value of a siesta upon a summer afternoon--" he began. I cut in with a bitter laugh. "What's he going to do?" I said. "Take a stall, of course," said Daphne. "Is he?" said Berry comfortably. "Is he? If motoring with Jonah to Huntercombe, and playing golf all day, is not incompatible with taking a stall on Thursday, I will sell children's underwear and egg cosies with eclat. Otherwise--" "Golf," I said, "golf! Why don't I play golf?" "I know," said Berry; "because--" "Miserable man!" said Daphne. "Who?" said her husband. "You." Berry turned to me. "You hear?" he said. "Vulgar abuse. And why? Simply because a previous engagement denies to me the opportunity of subscribing to this charitable imposition. Humble as would have been my poor assistance, it would have been rendered with a willing heart. But there!" he sighed--"It may not be. The Bananas will never know, never realize how---- By the way, who are the Bananas?" "The Bananas?" said I. "Surely you know the--" "Weren't at Ascot, were they?" "Not in the Enclosure. No. The bold, bad Bananas are in many ways an engaging race. Indeed, some of the manners and customs which they affect are of a quite peculiar interest. Let us look, brother, for a moment, at their clothing. At the first blush--I use the word advisedly--it would seem that, like the fruit from which they take their name--" "I thought you'd better do some tricks," said Daphne, throwing a dark look in my direction. "Of course," I said; "the very thing. I've always been so good at tricks." "I mean it," said Daphne. "Of course you do. What about the confidence trick? Can any lady oblige me with a public-house?" "She means trick-cycling, stupid," said Berry. "Riding backwards on one wheel while you count the ball-bearings." "Look here," I said, "if Berry could have come and smoked a cigarette, I wouldn't have minded trying to flick the ash off it with a hunting-whip." "Pity about that golf," mused Berry. "And you might have thrown knives round me afterwards. As it is, you'll have to recite." In a few telling sentences I intimated that I would do nothing of the kind. "I will appear," I said at last, "I will appear and run round generally, but I promise nothing more." "Nonsense," said my sister. "I have promised, and I'm not going to let you break my word. You are going to do something definite." "Desperate?"