Such Stuff Ch. 15

And with that he walked across to his house opened the door and shut it without so much as a glance behind him. Lizzie was quite lost for words at the sudden closure of the meeting and, of course, she had not had the opportunity of asking her questions. Drawing her dress on around her she left the garden and returned to the main house.

That evening, at dinner, she was seated next to Conrad who kept feeling her thigh. Lizzie tried to ignore him.

"So you met our Dai?" asked Conrad. "A remarkable man—as he will have told you. A rather conceited man unfortunately." As Conrad's habit seemed to be, almost as a matter of course, he pulled out his book and looked at it with a pleased smile. Lizzie thought to herself that Conrad's comment re­ally constituted the pot calling the kettle black. He had an air of smugness as he read,

Lizzie spent the afternoon with the most amazing of men, a man with two heads. She had a question about the Winberry that was answered. David Am­brose Penstimen Fallick was his name and a man more pleased with himself you could hardly meet. It came of having two heads, each could move and spout of its own accord. He could talk about all manner of trivial things as if his two heads had nothing better to do all day. "The Winberry," he said ad­dressing Lizzie, "Some people call it the Bilberry, some the Blaeberry others Whinberry or Whortleberry or..."

"Yes, thank you," said Lizzie crossly, "I think I've heard that already today—and once is enough."

Conrad smiled, "You see, I write — it happens. Would you like me to write you as a female Dai. I could give you a second..."

"NO THANK YOU." said Lizzie.