was full of good things for the little ones and said it was only right that the youngsters should enjoy themselves while they were young.  Maria agreed with him and favoured him with demure nods and hems.  He was very nice with her, and when she was getting out at the Canal Bridge she thanked him and bowed, and he bowed to her and raised his hat and smiled agreeably, and while she was going up along the terrace, bending her tiny head under the rain, she thought how easy it was to know a gentleman even when he has a drop taken.

Everybody said:  “0, here’s Maria!” when she came to Joe’s house.  Joe was there, having come home from business, and all the children had their Sunday dresses on.  There were two big girls in from next door and games were going on.  Maria gave the bag of cakes to the eldest boy, Alphy, to divide and Mrs. Donnelly said it was too good of her to bring such a big bag of cakes and made all the children say: 

“Thanks, Maria.”

But Maria said she had brought something special for papa and mamma, something they would be sure to like, and she began to look for her plumcake.  She tried in Downes’s bag and then in the pockets of her waterproof and then on the hallstand but nowhere could she find it.  Then she asked all the children had any of them eaten it—­by mistake, of course—­but the children all said no and looked as if they did not like to eat cakes if they were to be accused of stealing.  Everybody had a solution for the mystery and Mrs. Donnelly said it was plain that Maria had left it behind her in the tram.  Maria, remembering how confused the gentleman with the greyish moustache had made her, coloured with shame and vexation and disappointment.  At the thought of the failure of her little surprise and of the two and fourpence she had thrown away for nothing she nearly cried outright.

But Joe said it didn’t matter and made her sit down by the fire.  He was very nice with her.  He told her all that went on in his office, repeating for her a smart answer which he had made to the manager.  Maria did not understand why Joe laughed so much over the answer he had made but she said that the manager must have been a very overbearing person to deal with.  Joe said he wasn’t so bad when you knew how to take him, that he was a decent sort so long as you didn’t rub him the wrong way.  Mrs. Donnelly played the piano for the children and they danced and sang.  Then the two next-door girls handed round the nuts.  Nobody could find the nutcrackers and Joe was nearly getting cross over it and asked how did they expect Maria to crack nuts without a nutcracker.  But Maria said she didn’t like nuts and that they weren’t to bother about her.  Then Joe asked would she take a bottle of stout and Mrs. Donnelly said there was port wine too in the house if she would prefer that.  Maria said she would rather they didn’t ask her to take anything:  but Joe insisted.