Well, you know how one feels when that happens. I put my hand quickly to my tie--it was still there. I squinted down my nose, but there was no smut. To make quite sure I went over to the glass. Then Simpson exploded. Yet nobody spoke. They all sat there watching me, and at last I began to get nervous. I opened my mouth to say "Good-morning," but before I got it out Miss Blair gave a little shriek of excitement. That upset me altogether. I walked up to the tea-pot, and pouring myself out a cup said, with exaggerated carelessness, "Rotten day, isn't it?" And then came the laughter--shout after shout. I held out my hand to Myra. "Good-bye," I said, "I'm going home. Thank you for a very jolly time, but I'm not going to be bullied." "Oh, you dear," she gurgled. "I am rather sweet before breakfast," I admitted, "but how----" "It was too heavenly of you. I never thought you would." "I think I shall go back to bed." "It was rather rough luck," said Archie, "but of course the later you are the worse it is for you." "And the higher the fewer. Quite so. If this is from Breakfast Table Topics in _The Daily Mirror_, I haven't seen them to-day; but I'll do my best." "Archie, explain." Archie took up a piece of paper from the table, and explained. "It's like this," he said. "I came down first and looked at the weather, and said----" "Anyone would," I put in quickly. "Well, then, Blair came in and said, 'Beastly day,' and then Simpson---- Well, I thought I'd write down everybody's first remark, to see if anybody let the weather alone. Here they are." "It's awful," put in Myra, "to have one's remarks taken down straight off. I've quite forgotten what I said." This was the list: _Archie_: "Bother." (So he says.) _Blair_: "What a beastly day!" _Simpson_: "What a jolly day!" _The Major_: "Well, not much cricket to-day, hey?" _Myra_: "Oh dear, what a day!" _Miss Blair_: "What a terrible day!" _Miss Fortescue_: "Oh, you poor men--what a day!" _Thomas_: "Rotten day, isn't it?" _Me_: "Rotten day, isn't it?" "I don't think much of Thomas's remark," I said. Later on in the morning we met (all except the Major, that is) in the room which Myra calls hers and Archie calls the nursery, and tried to think of something to do. "I'm not going to play bridge all day for anyone," said Archie. "The host should lay himself out to amuse his guests," said Myra. "Otherwise, his guests will lay him out," I warned him, "to amuse themselves." "Well, what do you all want to do?" "I should like to look at a photograph album," said Thomas. "Stump cricket." "What about hide-and-seek?" "No, I've got it," cried Archie; "we'll be boy scouts." "Hooray!" cried everybody else. Archie was already on his hands and knees. "Ha!" he said, "is that the spoor of the white ant that I see before me? Spoorly not. I have but been winded by the water-beetle.