"You Jack o' Di'monds, you Jack o' Di'monds," said Mark Sambourne, shaking a reproachful head, "I know you of old." He rummaged beneath the white satin of his costume, panelled with gigantic oblongs and spotted to represent a set of dominoes. "Hang this fancy rig! Where the blazes has the fellow put my pockets? You rob my pocket, yes, you rob-a my pocket, you rob my pocket of silver and go-ho-hold. How much do you make it?" He extracted a fountain-pen and a cheque-book.
"Five-seventeen-six," said Lord Peter Wimsey. "That's right, isn't it, partner?" His huge blue-and-scarlet sleeves rustled as he turned to Lady Hermione Creethorpe, who, in her Queen of Clubs costume, looked a very redoubtable virgin, as, indeed, she was.
"Quite right," said the old lady, "and I consider that very cheap."
"We haven't been playing long," said Wimsey apologetically.
"It would have been more, Auntie," observed Mrs. Wrayburn, "if you hadn't been greedy. You shouldn't have doubled those four spades of mine."
Lady Hermione snorted, and Wimsey hastily cut in:
"It's a pity we've got to stop, but Deverill will never forgive us if we're not there to dance Sir Roger. He feels strongly about it. What's the time? Twenty past one. Sir Roger is timed to start sharp at half-past. I suppose we'd better tootle back to the ballroom."
"I suppose we had," agreed Mrs. Wrayburn. She stood up, displaying her dress, boldly patterned with the red and black points of a backgammon board. "It's very good of you," she added, as Lady Hermione's voluminous skirts swept through the hall ahead of them, "to chuck your dancing to give Auntie her bridge. She does so hate to miss it."
"Not at all," replied Wimsey. "It's a pleasure. And in any case I was jolly glad of a rest. These costumes are dashed hot for dancing in."
...
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A few years ago I started gathering small trees for Christmas. Two of them are shown below along with a decoration my parents made when I was a child.
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...I like the silver tinsel tree.☃️ 🎄 ❄️ 🎅🏼
ReplyDeleteIt came from Dollar Tree iirc ;)
DeleteI like Lord Peter Whimsey, even if he is such a stereotypical gentry character. And nice to see your trees. That show with the holly is also fascinating. Does the shoe have significance?
ReplyDeleteNo, the shoe was just an old one of Mother's she didn't wear any more. She spray painted the shoes silver and used them. The shoe idea was a popular thing that year. She saw the idea in a magazine.
DeleteI always liked Dorothy Sayers better than Agatha Christie. I love the idea of little Christmas trees! Maybe I'll adopt that next year.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever had to do a Christmas tree by myself a big one would be beyond me.
DeleteI should get another tabletop tree so I have one specific decoration at least. I haven't put anything up since the base of my tabletop tree broke several years ago. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have some small options.
DeleteI love the fabric tree. What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteSomebody crafty could make one of them. Mine was a present.
DeleteThose trees, especially the felt one, are adorable. And I"m glad you have the original decoration!
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda happy my sister didn't want any of the old decorations ;)
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