This page has been validated.

THE DIARY OF A NOBODY.

cloth, after removing the breakfast things, in a manner which causes all the crumbs to fall on the carpet, eventually to be trodden in. Sarah answered very rudely: "Oh, you are always complaining." I replied: "Indeed, I am not. I spoke to you last week about walking all over the drawing-room carpet with a piece of yellow soap on the heel of your boot." She said: "And you're always grumbling about your breakfast." I said: "No, I am not; but I feel perfectly justified in complaining that I never can get a hard-boiled egg. The moment I crack the shell it spurts all over the plate, and I have spoken to you at least fifty times about it." She began to cry and make a scene; but fortunately my 'bus came by, so I had a good excuse for leaving her. Gowing left a message in the evening, that we were not to forget next Saturday. Carrie amusingly said: "As he has never asked any friends before, we are not likely to forget it."


January 23.—I asked Lupin to try and change the hard brushes, he recently made me a present of, for some softer ones, as my hairdresser tells me I ought not to brush my hair too much just now.


January 24.—The new chimney-glass came

163