“She shall buy two,” said Clovis; “she can give one to Lady Adela, who never buys anything that she can borrow.”

The almanac had a big sale, and most of its predictions came sufficiently near fulfilment to sustain the compiler’s claim to prophetic powers of an eighteenpenny standard. One of the Dibcuster girls made up her mind to be a hospital nurse and another of them gave up piano playing, both of which might be considered happy decisions, while the forecast of servant troubles and unmerited bad luck on the golf links received ample confirmation in the annals of the home and the club.

“I don’t see how she was to know that I was going to change my cook twice in seven months,” said Mrs. Duff, who easily recognised an allusion to herself as one of the best mistresses of the neighbourhood.