The Strategist

by H.H. Munro (SAKI)

　　

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Mrs. Jallatt's young people's parties were severely exclusive; itcame cheaper that way, because you could ask fewer to them. Mrs.Jallatt didn't study cheapness, but somehow she generally attainedit."There'll be about ten girls," speculated Rollo, as he drove to thefunction, "and I suppose four fellows, unless the Wrotsleys bringtheir cousin, which Heaven forbid. That would mean Jack and meagainst three of them."Rollo and the Wrotsley brethren had maintained an undying feudalmost from nursery days. They only met now and then in theholidays, and the meeting was usually tragic for whichever happenedto have the fewest backers on hand. Rollo was counting to-night onthe presence of a devoted and muscular partisan to hold an evenbalance. As he arrived he heard his prospective champion's sisterapologising to the hostess for the unavoidable absence of herbrother; a moment later he noted that the Wrotsleys HAD broughttheir cousin.Two against three would have been exciting and possibly unpleasant;one against three promised to be about as amusing as a visit to thedentist. Rollo ordered his carriage for as early as was decentlypossible, and faced the company with a smile that he imagined thebetter sort of aristocrat would have worn when mounting to theguillotine."So glad you were able to come," said the elder Wrotsley heartily."Now, you children will like to play games, I suppose," said Mrs.Jallatt, by way of giving things a start, and as they were too well-bred to contradict her there only remained the question of what theywere to play at."I know of a good game," said the elder Wrotsley innocently. "Thefellows leave the room and think of a word; then they come backagain, and the girls have to find out what the word is."Rollo knew the game. He would have suggested it himself if hisfaction had been in the majority."It doesn't promise to be very exciting," sniffed the superiorDolores Sneep as the boys filed out of the room. Rollo thoughtdifferently. He trusted to Providence that Wrotsley had nothingworse than knotted handkerchiefs at his disposal.The word-choosers locked themselves in the library to ensure thattheir deliberations should not be interrupted. Providence turnedout to be not even decently neutral; on a rack on the library wallwere a dog-whip and a whalebone riding-switch. Rollo thought itcriminal negligence to leave such weapons of precision lying about.He was given a choice of evils, and chose the dog-whip; the nextminute or so he spent in wondering how he could have made such astupid selection. Then they went back to the languidly expectantfemales."The word's 'camel,'" announced the Wrotsley cousin blunderingly."You stupid!" screamed the girls, "we've got to GUESS the word. Nowyou'll have to go back and think of another.""Not for worlds," said Rollo; "I mean, the word isn't really camel;we were rotting. Pretend it's dromedary!" he whispered to theothers."I heard them say 'dromedary'! I heard them. I don't care what yousay; I heard them," squealed the odious Dolores. "With ears as longas hers one would hear anything," thought Rollo savagely."We shall have to go back, I suppose," said the elder Wrotsleyresignedly.The conclave locked itself once more into the library. "Look here,I'm not going through that dog-whip business again," protestedRollo."Certainly not, dear," said the elder Wrotsley; "we'll try thewhalebone switch this time, and you'll know which hurts most. It'sonly by personal experience that one finds out these things."It was swiftly borne in upon Rollo that his earlier selection of thedog-whip had been a really sound one. The conclave gave his under-lip time to steady itself while it debated the choice of thenecessary word. "Mustang" was no good, as half the girls wouldn'tknow what it meant; finally "quagga" was pitched on."You must come and sit down over here," chorused the investigatingcommittee on their return; but Rollo was obdurate in insisting thatthe questioned person always stood up. On the whole, it was arelief when the game was ended and supper was announced.Mrs. Jallatt did not stint her young guests, but the more expensivedelicacies of her supper-table were never unnecessarily duplicated,and it was usually good policy to take what you wanted while it wasstill there. On this occasion she had provided sixteen peaches to"go round" among fourteen children; it was really not her fault thatthe two Wrotsleys and their cousin, foreseeing the long foodlessdrive home, had each quietly pocketed an extra peach, but it wasdistinctly trying for Dolores and the fat and good-natured AgnesBlaik to be left with one peach between them."I suppose we had better halve it," said Dolores sourly.But Agnes was fat first and good-natured afterwards; those were herguiding principles in life. She was profuse in her sympathy forDolores, but she hastily devoured the peach, explaining that itwould spoil it to divide it; the juice ran out so."Now what would you all like to do?" demanded Mrs. Jallatt by way ofdiversion. "The professional conjurer whom I had engaged has failedme at the last moment. Can any of you recite?"There were symptoms of a general panic. Dolores was known to recite"Locksley Hall" on the least provocation. There had been occasionswhen her opening line, "Comrades, leave me here a little," had beentaken as a literal injunction by a large section of her hearers.There was a murmur of relief when Rollo hastily declared that hecould do a few conjuring tricks. He had never done one in his life,but those two visits to the library had goaded him to unusualrecklessness."You've seen conjuring chaps take coins and cards out of people," heannounced; "well, I'm going to take more interesting things out ofsome of you. Mice, for instance.""Not mice!"A shrill protest rose, as he had foreseen, from the majority of hisaudience."Well, fruit, them."The amended proposal was received with approval. Agnes positivelybeamed.Without more ado Rollo made straight for his trio of enemies,plunged his hand successively into their breast-pockets, andproduced three peaches. There was no applause, but no amount ofhand-clapping would have given the performer as much pleasure as thesilence which greeted his coup."Of course, we were in the know," said the Wrotsley cousin lamely."That's done it," chuckled Rollo to himself."If they HAD been confederates they would have sworn they knewnothing about it," said Dolores, with piercing conviction."Do you know any more tricks?" asked Mrs. Jallatt hurriedly.Rollo did not. He hinted that he might have changed the threepeaches into something else, but Agnes had already converted oneinto girl-food, so nothing more could be done in that direction."I know a game," said the elder Wrotsley heavily, "where the fellowsgo out of the room, and think of some character in history; thenthey come back and act him, and the girls have to guess who it'smeant for.""I'm afraid I must be going," said Rollo to his hostess."Your carriage won't be here for another twenty minutes," said Mrs.Jallatt."It's such a fine evening I think I'll walk and meet it.""It's raining rather steadily at present. You've just time to playthat historical game.""We haven't heard Dolores recite," said Rollo desperately; as soonas he had said it he realised his mistake. Confronted with thealternative of "Locksley Hall," public opinion declared unanimouslyfor the history game.Rollo played his last card. In an undertone meant apparently forthe Wrotsley boy, but carefully pitched to reach Agnes, he observed-"All right, old man; we'll go and finish those chocolates we left inthe library.""I think it's only fair that the girls should take their turn ingoing out," exclaimed Agnes briskly. She was great on fairness."Nonsense," said the others; "there are too many of us.""Well, four of us can go. I'll be one of them."And Agnes darted off towards the library, followed by three lesseager damsels.Rollo sank into a chair and smiled ever so faintly at the Wrotsleys,just a momentary baring of the teeth; an otter, escaping from thefangs of the hounds into the safety of a deep pool, might have givena similar demonstration of feelings.From the library came the sound of moving furniture. Agnes wasleaving nothing unturned in her quest for the mythical chocolates.And then came a more blessed sound, wheels crunching wet gravel."It has been a most enjoyable evening," said Rollo to his hostess.

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