| Chapter: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV. |
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.{1}
CHAPTER I
Certainly the breakfast tongue, which was for the first time thatmorning, was not of the pleasant reddish hue which Mrs. Altham wasjustified in expecting considering that the delicacy in question was notan ordinary tinned tongue (you had to take things as you found them, ifyour false sense of economy led you to order tinned goods) but one thatcame out of a fine glass receptacle with an eminent label on it. It wasmore of the colour of cold mutton, unattractive if not absolutelyunpleasant to the eye, while to the palate it proved to be singularlylacking in flavour. Altogether it was a great disappointment, and forreason, when Mr. Altham set out at a quarter-past twelve to stroll alongto the local club in Queensgate Street with the ostensible purpose ofseeing if there was any fresh telegram about the disturbances inMorocco, his wife accompanied him to the door of that desirable mansion,round which was grouped a variety of chained-up dogs in various statesof boredom and irritation, and went on into the High Street in order tomake in person a justifiable complaint at her grocer’s. She would besorry to have to take her custom elsewhere, but if Mr. Pritchard did notsee his way to sending her another tongue (of course without furthercharge) she would be obliged....
So this morning there was a special and imperative reason why Mrs.Altham should walk out before lunch{2} to the High Street, and why herhusband should make a morning visit to the club. But to avoidmisconception it may be stated at once that there was, on every day ofthe week except Sunday, some equally compelling cause to account forthese expeditions. If it was very wet, perhaps, Mrs. Altham might not goto the High Street, but wet or fine her husband went to his club. Andexactly the same thing happened in the case of most of their friends andacquaintances, so that Mr. Altham was certain of meeting GeneralFortescue, Mr. Brodie, Major Ames, and others in the smoking-room, whileMrs. Altham encountered their wives and sisters on errands like her ownin the High Street. She often professed superior distaste for gossip,but when she met her friends coming in and out of shops, it wa