It fell across the parallels of our small society,
and demonstrated that Mrs. A and Mrs. B could never meet; that one
room could not contain the two unequal families X and Y; and that
while one rested on the basis of trade, and the other on professional
skill, it was unreasonable to expect the apex Mrs. Y to coincide with
the apex Mrs. X. Finally the New Geometry culminated in a triumphant
process, which proved that while Mrs. Simpson was allowed to imbibe
tea and scandal in the company of the great, her husband must sip his
gin and water in solitude at home.
We had always been select in Troy; but then, In the old days, _all_
Troy had been included in the term. When Mr. Simpson had spoken of
the "Jack of Oaks" (meaning the Knave of Clubs), or had said
"fainaiguing" (where others said "revoking"), we had pretended not to
notice it, until at length we actually did not. So that a human as
well as a philological interest attaches to the date when fashion
narrowed the meaning of _Cumeelfo_ to exclude the Jack of Oaks, and
sent Mr. Simpson home to his gin and water.
The change was discussed with some asperity in the bar-parlour of the
"Man-o'-War."
"The hupper classes in Troy es bloomin' fine nowadays," remarked
Rechab Geddye (locally known as Rekkub) over his beer on the night
when the resignations of Mr.
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