Mrs. Rutherford made a feeble show of urging her to remain until after dinner, but she replied: "No, no; I will not sit at table with your hypocrite and that woman's bigamist."
Said Mrs. Rutherford coldly, "Then I fear that we will have to be deprived of the pleasure of your society."
As soon as order was again restored, after Miss Fithian's unregretted departure, Mrs. Honey took up the interrupted theme. "Suppose, then," she said, thoughtfully, "as no one seems willing to sign first, that we draw up a 'round-robin' which we can all sign, without either seeming to lead."
"I won't," again objected Mrs. Wildfen—"not until I know what a 'round-robin' is."
"It is a paper to which signatures are affixed in a surrounding circle, so that the precedence of all is equal."
"Oh, I'll sign that!" "So will I!" "And I!" responded the other wives.
This then was the form in which Mrs. Honey drew up the invitation, and the signatures were affixed.
When completed, and addressed "To the gentlemen in the pavilion," it was handed to Sam for delivery, and he went off chuckling over the success of his ruse in attracting attention to his foray upon the luncheon-table. In a short time he brought back a verbal acceptance of the invitation.
Mrs. Honey had constituted herself leader of the feminine discontents. When they were marshalled in the dining-room, awaiting their guests, she thus addressed them: