“Yes, it makes me shivery to think of,” ejaculated Mrs. Robinson; “but mother really has extraordinary nerve.  She wasn’t in the least upset.”

“No, not a little bit, by Jove!” added Robinson.  “The old sport just leaned forward in her seat and, when James had adjusted his head-piece, she coolly reprimanded him for stunting without orders.  Of course she doesn’t know anything about the theory of the thing, you see.”

With the dessert came letters by the late air post.

“Oh, please excuse me,” said Millie, as she took them from the maid, “I see there’s a reply from Auntie—­the Edinburgh aunt, you know,” she explained.  “I wrote her this morning, imploring her to come over to-morrow for the bazaar.  She’s so splendid at that sort of thing.”

“What my wife’s aunt doesn’t know about flying isn’t worth knowing,” remarked John with finality.  “Why, she qualified for her ticket last year, and she’ll never see forty again.  How’s that for an up-to-date aunt?”

“I doubt if she’ll fly solo that distance, though,” said Millie; “I don’t think she ought to, either.”

“Of course,” said Robinson, “it’s a bit of a strain for a woman of middle age to negotiate three hundred odd miles, even with a couple of landings for a cup of tea en route.”

Millie rose.  “Now, don’t you men sit here for an hour discussing ’flying speeds,’ ‘gliding angles,’ and all that sort of thing.  I object to aero-maniacs on principle.  I—­” At that moment a peculiar noise, evidently in the near vicinity of the house, arrested the attention of the party.

“Sounded like something breaking,” said Millie, going to the window, which overlooked the garden and a good-sized paddock beyond.  John had already gone out to investigate.

In a minute or two he reappeared ushering in a very jolly-looking old gentleman in a flying suit.

“A thousand pardons, Mrs. Smith,” said the new arrival; “John collected me in the paddock.  Ha! ha!  You know my theory about the paddock.”

The guests having been introduced, explanations followed.

“You know my theory,” began old Mr, Brown.

“Yes, rather; I should think we do,” interrupted Millie, leading him to the most comfortable armchair “But,” she quoted, “you are old, Mr. Brown; do you think at your age it is right?”

“Well, the theory’s smashed, anyhow,” said John decisively, “and so’s my fence.”

“No! no!  I won’t hear of it,” laughed Brown; “I admit the fence, but not the theory.  You see,” he went on, turning to Mrs. Robinson, “I’ve always insisted, as Smith knows, that there’s plenty of landing space in his paddock, provided you do it up wind.  The fact is I glided in to-night from east to west.  Thought I should be dead head on; but I believe I was a couple of points out in my reckoning and so failed to bring the old ’bus to a stand short of the fence.  You know, Smith,” he added, with an injured air, “you ought to have a wind-pointer rigged up so’s there’d be no doubt about it.”