Hickory Dickory Dock

"Oh, Mrs. Hubbard." "You're very late, Celia. The coffee's cold and there's not much left to cat." "I didn't want to meet the others." "So I gather. But you've got to meet them sooner or later." "Oh, yes, I know. But I thought-by this evening comx would be easier. And of course I shall't stop on here. I'll go at the end of the week." Mrs. Hubbard frowned.

"I don't think there's any need for that. You must expect a little unpleasantness-that's only fair-but they're generous minded young people on the whole. Of course you'll have to make reparation as far as possible-was Celia interrupted her eagerly.

"Oh yes. I've got my cheque book here.

That's one of the things I wanted to say to you." She looked down. She was holding a cheque book and an envelope in her hand. "I'd written to you in case you weren't about when I got down, to say how sorry I was and I meant to put in a cheque, so that you could square up with people-but my pen ran out of ink." "We'll have to make a list." "I have-as far as possible. But I don't know whether to try and buy new things or just to give the money." "I'll think it over. It's difficult to say offhand." "Oh, but do let me we you a cheque now. I'd feel so much better." About to say uncompromisingly "Really? And why should you be allowed to make yourself feel better?" Mrs. Hubbard reflected that since the students were always short of ready cash, the whole affair would be more easily settled that way. It would also placate Genevieve who otherwise might make trouble with Mrs. Nicoletis. (there would be trouble enough there anyway.) "All right," she said. She ran her eye down the list of objects. "It's difficult to say how much offhand" Celia said eagerly, "Let me give you a cheque for what you think roughly and then you find out from people and I can take some back or give you more." "Very well." Mrs. Hubbard tentatively mentioned a sum which gave, she considered, ample margin, and Celia agreed at once. She opened the cheque book.

"Oh bother my pen." She went over to the shelves where odds and ends were kept belonging to various students. "There doesn't seem to be any ink here except Nigel's awful green. Oh, I'll use that. Nigel won't mind, I must remember to get a new bottle of Ouink when I go out." She filled the pen and came back and wrote out the cheque.

Giving it to Mrs. Hubbard, she glanced at her watch.

"I shall be late. I'd better not stop for breakfast." "Now you'd better have something, Celia-even if it's only a bit of bread and butter-no good going out on an emlyly stomach. Yes, what is it?" Geronimo, the Italian manservant, had come into the room and was making emphatic gestures with his hands, his wizened monkey-like face screwed up in a comical grimace.

"The Padrona, she just come in. She want to see you." He added, with a final gesture, "She plenty mad." "I'm coming." Mrs. Hubbard left the room while Celia hurriedly began hacking a piece off the loaf.

Mrs. Nicoletis was walking up and down her room in a fairly good imitation of a tiger at the Zoo near feeding time.

"What is this I hear?" she burst out. "You send for the police? Without a word to me? Who do you think you are? My God, who does the woman think she is?" "I did not send for the police." "You are a liar." "Now then, Mrs. Nicoletis, you can't talk to me like that." "Oh no. Certainly not! It is I who am wrong, not you. Always me. Everything you do is perfect. Police in my respectable Hostel." "It wouldn't be the first time," said "Jrs.

Hubbard, recalling various unpleasant incidents.

"There was that West Indian student who was wanted for living on immoral earnings and the notorious young communist agitator who came here under a false name-and-was "Ah! You throw that in my teeth? Is it my fault that people come here and He to me and have forged papers and are wanted to assist the police in murder cases? And you reproach me for what I have suffereeaggI!" "I'm doing nothing of the kind. I only point out that it wouldn't be exactly a novelty to have the police here comI daresay it's inevitable with a mixed lot of students. But the fact is that no one has "called in the police." A private detective with a big reputation happened to dine here as my guest last night. He gave a very interesting talk on criminology to the students." "As if there were any need to talk about criminology to our students! They know quite enough already.

Enough to steal and destroy and sabotage as they like! And nothing is done about it-nothing!" "T have done something about it." "Yes, you have told this friend of yours all about our most intimate affairs. That is a gross breach of confidence." "Not at all. I'm responsible for running this place. I'm glad to tell you the matter is now cleared up. One of the students has confessed that she has been responsible for most of these happenings." "Dirty little cat," said Mrs. Nicoletis.