Show j H her er convenient excuse it its s awfully sweet ot of you to think of it and I 1 should love to go if I 1 were well said mrs airs buckley over the tele phone oh no nothing serious but I 1 don t feel quite able to go out oh ves I 1 shall be all right in a day or two thank you so much for asking me good by mrs buckley hung up the receiver with a sight of relief I 1 in glad I 1 had the presence of mind to decline she said to herself I 1 don dont t care at all tor for a stupid drive with mrs drake besides with the hendersons henderso ns C coming oming to dinner tonight I 1 ve got too much to dc this afternoon to waste ome time going ro re nd the park behind her old slow coach horses two hours later mrs buckley was assisting the cook in the manufacture of a wonderfully complicated dessert when her husband burst into the room I ath ali an anxious frown on his brow I 1 ive ve been looking all through the bous for you nan he said a little i impatiently I 1 didn t expect to find you in the kitchen why not how did you happen to come home so early tom I 1 heard you were ill III I 1 why I 1 in not a bit ill so I 1 see but I 1 met drake at lunch and he told me you were ere so sick you t go out for a drive with his wife I 1 naturally thought you had had some sudden attack and no one had had sense enough to call me up so I 1 ru bed hed home you poor old dear mrs airs buckley lai lat ched indulgently as she continued to whip cream I 1 had no idea 3 ou were so easily alarmed any one would have been alarmed by what drake said how in the world did he ever get the idea that you were sick mrs drake telephoned me this morning asking me to go driving and as I 1 didn dian t feel like it I 1 said I 1 wash t well oh that s it why didn dian t you J just eay bay vou t feel like it you know you can t say such things tom ia well ell I 1 rather think I 1 can how ver ever since youre you re in no immediate danger ill console myself with a lit tie golf the rest of the afternoon very well but come home early you know the hender mrs buck ley ceased speaking as the door closed none too gently behind her husband husbard adv one would think she smilingly mu mused pd that tom was disappointed I 1 in not sick at 6 30 after an ex extremely tremelT busy aft ernan mrs airs buckley was dressed and awaiting her husband and guests liy by in the world doesn doean t tom come she fretted hell surely keep dinner waiting while he s changing his clothes at seven 0 clock neither he nor the expected guests had arrived and mrs buckley tiled and nervous walked he the poor of her flower bedecked rooms na ell here you are at last she cried as buckley appeared at 7 30 what detained you ive been al most n ild I 1 t suppose you d worry nan you re see e we started a foursome so late that bin but you knew you had to dress for or dinner tom dress for dinner 7 9 yes of course you know as well as I 1 do that the hendersons are com ing I 1 cant can t understand why they re so la 0 it a inexcusable think twice before I 1 invite them again they should have been here an hour ago but nan they aren t coming aren t coming what makes you think they re not coming well you see after I 1 left drake today I 1 ran into henderson and I 1 told him I 1 tas ras hurrying home pome because you were ill he ile said hed he d telephone his wife that the dinner was off it was thoughtful of him if oh very mrs airs buckley spoke with much sarcasm it would have been very ery thoughtful of you to have mentioned to me that the hendersons were not coming perhaps you think 1 I like to work all day getting up a dinner for or people who aren t coming for a moment buckley looked a lit tie crestfallen cret fallen then making a strong recovery he said boldly but my dear girl I 1 was so delighted to find you t really sick that the sense of relief drove every other thought out of my head except the thought of golf again buckley looked somewhat nonplused but in an instant he be ral tied hang it all nan we wouldn t have had this muddle if you had told mrs drake tee tae truth in the farst place I 1 can promise you one lining thorn thom as dear I 1 won t indulge in another in fabrication very soon it if I 1 think there theres s the slightest possibility of its falling luto into your clumsy keeping well then truth Is once more tri laughed tom and your company dinner wont be wasted my dear for I 1 no ravenous |