"Like the heathen that Mummie tells us about on Sunday?"
"Between the heathen and a diplomatist," I said, "there is nothing to choose."
Phyllis sighed. "I wish I didn't know any better," she said yearningly. Lillah looked at me dangerously from the corner of her eye.
"And got money for it," she added.
"Would you like to play zoo?" I said hastily.
They were silent.
"I'll be a bear," I said eagerly—"a polar one."
No answer. I felt discouraged, but I made another effort. "Or," I said, "I can be a monkey and you can throw nuts at me, or" —desperately— "a ring-tailed lemur, or an orangoutang, or an ant-eater...." My voice tailed away and there was silence. Then the small voice of Phyllis broke in.
"Uncle," she said, "why aren't you a diplomist?"
At that point Nurse came in and I slid quietly off. As I was going out of the door I heard the voice of Lillah.