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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。 The
stress of having to decide in a hurry what to give to
Gertrude and Milly just when I thought I'd got the whole
question nicely off my mind completely ruined my
Christmas； and then the awful monotony of the letters of
thanks： 'Thank you so much for your lovely flowers。 It
was so good of you to think of me。' Of course in the
majority of cases I hadn't thought about the recipients
at all； their names were down in my list of 'people who
must not be left out。' If I trusted to remembering them
there would be some awful sins of omission。〃
〃The trouble is；〃 said Clovis to his aunt； 〃all
these days of intrusive remembrance harp so persistently
on one aspect of human nature and entirely ignore the
other； that is why they become so perfunctory and
artificial。 At Christmas and New Year you are emboldened
and encouraged by convention to send gushing messages of
optimistic goodwill and servile affection to people whom
you would scarcely ask to lunch unless some one else had
failed you at the last moment； if you are supping at a
restaurant on New Year's Eve you are permitted and
expected to join hands and sing 'For Auld Lang Syne' with
strangers whom you have never seen before and never want
to see again。 But no licence is allowed in the opposite
direction。〃
〃Opposite direction； what opposite direction？〃
queried Mrs。 Thackenbury。
〃There is no outlet for demonstrating your feelings
towards people whom you simply loathe。 That is really
the crying need of our modern civilisation。 Just think
how jolly it would be if a recognised day were set apart
for the paying off of old scores and grudges； a day when
one could lay oneself out to be gracefully vindictive to
a carefully treasured list of 'people who must not be let
off。' I remember when I was at a private school we had
one day； the last Monday of the term I think it was；
consecrated to the settlement of feuds and grudges； of
course we did not appreciate it as much as it deserved；
because； after all； any day of the term could be used for
that purpose。 Still； if one had chastised a smaller boy
for being cheeky weeks before； one was always permitted
on that day to recall the episode to his memory by
chastising him again。 That is what the French call
reconstructing the crime。〃
〃I should call it reconstructing the punishment；〃
said Mrs。 Thackenbury； 〃and； anyhow； I don't see how you
could introduce a system of primitive schoolboy vengeance
into civilised adult life。 We haven't outgrown our
passions； but we are supposed to have learned how to keep
them within strictly decorous limits。〃
〃Of course the thing would have to be done furtively
and politely；〃 said Clovis； 〃the charm of it would be
that it would never be perfunctory like the other thing。
Now； for instance； you say to yourself： 'I must show the
Webleys some attention at Christmas； they were kind to
dear Bertie at Bournemouth；' and you send them a
calendar； and daily for six days after Christmas the male
Webley asks the female Webley if she has remembered to
thank you for the calendar you sent them。 Well；
transplant that idea to the other and more human side of
your nature； and say to yourself： 'Next Thursday is
Nemesis Day； what on earth can I do to those odious
people next door who made such an absurd fuss when Ping
Yang bit their youngest child？' Then you'd get up
awfully early on the allotted day and climb over into
their garden and dig for truffles on their tennis court
with a good gardening fork； choosing； of course； that
part of the court that was screened from observation by
the laurel bushes。 You wouldn't find any truffles but
you would find a great peace； such as no amount of
present…giving could ever bestow。〃
〃I shouldn't；〃 said Mrs。 Thackenbury； though her air
of protest sounded a bit forced； 〃I should feel rather a
worm for doing such a thing。〃
〃You exaggerate the power of upheaval which a worm
would be able to bring into play in the limited time
available；〃 said Clovis； 〃if you put in a strenuous ten
minutes with a really useful fork； the result ought to
suggest the operations of an unusually masterful mole or
a badger in a hurry。〃
〃They might guess I had done it；〃 said Mrs。
Thackenbury。
〃Of course they would；〃 said Clovis； 〃that would be
half the satisfaction of the thing； just as you like
people at Christmas to know what presents or cards you've
sent them。 The thing would be much easier to manage； of
course； when you were on outwardly friendly terms with
the object of your dislike。 That greedy little Agnes
Blaik； for instance； who thinks of nothing but her food；
it would be quite simple to ask her to a picnic in some
wild woodland spot and lose her just before lunch was
served； when you found her again every morsel of food
could have been eaten up。〃
〃It would require no ordinary human strategy to lose
Agnes Blaik when luncheon was imminent： in fact； I don't
believe it could be done。〃
〃Then have all the other guests； people whom you
dislike； and lose the luncheon。 It could have been sent
by accident in the wrong direction。〃
〃It would be a ghastly picnic；〃 said Mrs。
Thackenbury。
〃For them； but not for you；〃 said Clovis； 〃you would
have had an early and comforting lunch before you
started； and you could improve the occasion by mentioning
in detail the items of the missing banquet … the lobster
Newburg and the egg mayonnaise； and the curry that was to
have been heated in a chafing…dish。 Agnes Blaik would be
delirious long before you got to the list of wine