Then
the doors opened and the welcome figure of the butler entered the room.
But he made no general announcement of a banquet in readiness, and the
doors closed behind him; his message was for Sophie alone.
"There is no dinner, madame," he said gravely; "the kitchen staff have
'downed tools.' Gaspare belongs to the Union of Cooks and Kitchen
Employees, and as soon as they heard of his summary dismissal at a
moment's notice they struck work. They demand his instant reinstatement
and an apology to the union. I may add, madame, that they are very firm;
I've been obliged even to hand back the dinner rolls that were already on
the table."
After the lapse of eighteen months Sophie Chattel-Monkheim is beginning
to go about again among her old haunts and associates, but she still has
to be very careful. The doctors will not let her attend anything at all
exciting, such as a drawing-room meeting or a Fabian conference; it is
doubtful, indeed, whether she wants to.
THE FEAST OF NEMESIS
"It's a good thing that Saint Valentine's Day has dropped out of vogue,"
said Mrs. Thackenbury; "what with Christmas and New Year and Easter, not
to speak of birthdays, there are quite enough remembrance days as it is.
I tried to save myself trouble at Christmas by just sending flowers to
all my friends, but it wouldn't work; Gertrude has eleven hot-houses and
about thirty gardeners, so it would have been ridiculous to send flowers
to her, and Milly has just started a florist's shop, so it was equally
out of the question there.
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