"Let's talk about the weather. It's a safe topic and there's always plenty of it."
When Marjory opened the door to carry in the salad there was a pleasant hum of voices in the dining room. It seemed to all the girls that the guests were really enjoying themselves for Mr. Black was telling Mrs. Crane how much warmer it was in Washington, and Mrs. Crane was informing Mr. Black that, except for the one shower that fell so opportunely on the Milligans, it had been a remarkably dry summer. The four anxious hostesses, feeling suddenly cheered, fell joyously to eating the soup and the salmon that remained on the stove. Until that moment, they had been too uneasy to realise that they were hungry; but as Marjory carried in the crackers, half-famished Mabel breathed a fervent hope that the guests wouldn't help themselves too lavishly to the salad.
To the astonishment of Mabel, who carried the chicken successfully to its place be-
