“Easily.  Further, Archie, if you want any suggestions as to how to improve the place, our ideas are at your disposal.”

“For instance,” said Thomas, “where do we play cricket?”

“By the way, you fellows,” announced Simpson, “I’ve given up playing cricket.”

We all looked at him in consternation.

“Do you mean you’ve given up bowling?” said Dahlia, with wide-open eyes.

“Aren’t you ever going to walk to the wickets again?” asked Blair.

“Aren’t you ever going to walk back to the pavilion again?” asked Archie.

“What will Montgomeryshire say?” wondered Myra in tones of awe.

“May I have your belt and your sand-shoes?” I begged.

“It’s the cider,” said Thomas.  “I knew he was overdoing it.”

Simpson fixed his glasses firmly on his nose and looked round at us benignly.

“I’ve given it up for golf,” he observed.

“Traitor,” said everyone.

“And the Triangular Tournament arranged for, and everything,” added Myra.

“You could make a jolly little course round here,” went on the infatuated victim.  “If you like, Archie, I’ll—­”

Archie stood up and made a speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “at 11.30 to-morrow precisely I invite you to the paddock beyond the kitchen-garden.”

“Myra and I have an appointment,” put in Simpson hastily.

“A net will be erected,” Archie went on, ignoring him, “and Mr Simpson will take his stand therein, while we all bowl at him—­or, if any prefer it, at the wicket—­for five minutes.  He will then bowl at us for an hour, after which he will have another hour’s smart fielding practice.  If he is still alive and still talks about golf, why then, I won’t say but what he mightn’t be allowed to plan out a little course—­or, at any rate, to do a little preliminary weeding.”

“Good man,” said Simpson.

“And if anybody else thinks he has given up cricket for ludo or croquet or oranges and lemons, then he can devote himself to planning out a little course for that too—­or anyhow to removing a few plantains in preparation for it.  In fact, ladies and gentlemen, all I want is for you to make yourselves as happy and as useful as you can.”

“It’s what you’re here for,” said Dahlia.

II.—­A GALA PERFORMANCE

The sun came into my room early next morning and woke me up.  It was followed immediately by a large blue-bottle which settled down to play with me.  We adopted the usual formation, the blue-bottle keeping mostly to the back of the court whilst I waited at the net for a kill.  After two sets I decided to change my tactics.  I looked up at the ceiling and pretended I wasn’t playing.  The blue-bottle settled on my nose and walked up my forehead.  “Heavens!” I cried, clasping my hand suddenly to my brow, “I’ve forgotten my toothbrush!” This took it completely by surprise, and I removed its corpse into the candlestick.