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good lady was quite unused to inspiring。 Obviously the Quabarl family
had been woefully befooled； but a certain amount of relief came with
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the knowledge。
〃How tiresome for you； dear Carlotta；〃 said her hostess； when the
overdue guest ultimately arrived； 〃how very tiresome losing your train
and having to stop overnight in a strange place。〃
〃Oh dear； no；〃 said Lady Carlotta； 〃not at all tiresome … for me。〃
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THE SEVENTH PULLET
〃IT'S not the daily grind that I complain of；〃 said Blenkinthrope
resentfully； 〃it's the dull grey sameness of my life outside of office hours。
Nothing of interest comes my way； nothing remarkable or out of the
common。 Even the little things that I do try to find some interest in
don't seem to interest other people。 Things in my garden； for instance。〃
〃The potato that weighed just over two pounds；〃 said his friend
Gorworth。
〃Did I tell you about that？〃 said Blenkinthrope； 〃I was telling the
others in the train this morning。 I forgot if I'd told you。〃
〃To be exact you told me that it weighed just under two pounds； but I
took into account the fact that abnormal vegetables and freshwater fish
have an after… life； in which growth is not arrested。〃
〃You're just like the others；〃 said Blenkinthrope sadly； 〃you only
make fun of it。〃
〃The fault is with the potato； not with us；〃 said Gorworth； 〃we are
not in the least interested in it because it is not in the least interesting。
The men you go up in the train with every day are just in the same case
as yourself； their lives are commonplace and not very interesting to
themselves； and they certainly are not going to wax enthusiastic over the
commonplace events in other men's lives。 Tell them something
startling； dramatic； piquant that has happened to yourself or to
someone in your family； and you will capture their interest at once。
They will talk about you with a certain personal pride to all their
acquaintances。 'Man I know intimately； fellow called Blenkinthrope；
lives down my way； had two of his fingers clawed clean off by a
lobster he was carrying home to supper。 Doctor says entire hand may
have to come off。' Now that is conversation of a very high order。 But
imagine walking into a tennis club with the remark： 'I know a man who
has grown a potato weighing two and a quarter pounds。'〃
〃But hang it all； my dear fellow；〃 said Blenkinthrope impatiently；
〃haven't I just told you that nothing of a remarkable nature ever happens
to me？〃
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〃Invent something；〃 said Gorworth。 Since winning a prize for
excellence in Scriptural knowledge at a preparatory school he had felt
licensed to be a little more unscrupulous than the circle he moved in。
Much might surely be excused to one who in early life could give a list
of seventeen trees mentioned in the Old Testament。
〃What sort of thing？〃asked Blenkinthrope； somewhat snappishly。
〃A snake got into your hen…run yesterday morning and killed six out
of seven pullets； first mesmerising them with its eyes and then biting
them as they stood helpless。 The seventh pullet was one of that French
sort； with feathers all over its eyes； so it escaped the mesmeric snare； and
just flew at what it could see of the snake and pecked it to pieces。〃
〃Thank you；〃 said Blenkinthrope stiffly； 〃it's a very clever invention。
If such a thing had really happened in my poultry…run I admit I should
have been proud and interested to tell people about it。 But I'd rather
stick to fact； even if it is plain fact。〃 All the same his mind dwelt
wistfully on the story of the Seventh Pullet。 He could picture himself
telling it in the train amid the absorbed interest of his fellow…passengers。
Unconsciously all sorts of little details and improvements began to
suggest themselves。
Wistfulness was still his dominant mood when he took his seat in the
railway carriage the next morning。 Opposite him sat Stevenham； who
had attained to a recognised brevet of importance through the fact of an
uncle having dropped dead in the act of voting at a Parliamentary
election。 That had happened three years ago； but Stevenham was still
deferred to on all questions of home and foreign politics。
〃Hullo； how's the giant mushroom； or whatever it was？〃 was all the
notice Blenkinthrope got from his fellow travellers。
Young Duckby； whom he mildly disliked； speedily monopolised the
general attention by an account of a domestic bereavement。
〃Had four young pigeons carried off last night by a whacking big rat。
Oh； a monster he must have been； you could tell by the size of the hole
he made breaking into the loft。〃
No moderate…sized rat ever seemed to carry out any predatory
operations in these regions； they were all enormous in their enormity。
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〃Pretty hard lines that；〃 continued Duckby； seeing that he had
secured the attention and respect of the company； 〃four squeakers
carried off at one swoop。 You'd find it rather hard to match that in the
way of unlooked… for bad luck。〃
〃I had six pullets out of a pen of seven killed by a snake yesterday
afternoon；〃 said Blenkinthrope； in a voice which he hardly recognised as
his own。
〃By a snake？〃 came in excited chorus。
〃It fascinated them with its deadly； glittering eyes； one after the other；
and struck them down while they stood helpless。 A bedridden
neighbour； who wasn't able to call for assistance； witnessed it all from
her bedroom window。〃
〃Well； I never！〃 broke in the chorus； with variations。
〃The interesting part of it is about the seventh pullet； the one that
didn't get killed；〃 resumed Blenkinthrope； slowly lighting a cigarette。
His diffidence had left him； and he was beginning to realise how safe
and easy depravity can seem once one has the courage to begin。 〃The
six dead birds were Minorcas； the seventh was a Houdan with a mop of
feathers all over its eyes。 It could hardly see the snake at all； so of
course it wasn't mesmerised like the others。 It just could see
something wriggling on the ground； and went for it and pecked it to
death。〃
〃Well； I'm blessed！〃 exclaimed the chorus。
In the course of the next few days Blenkinthrope discovered how
little the loss of one's self…respect affects one when one has gained the
esteem of the world。 His story found its way into one of the poultry
papers； and was copied thence into a daily news…sheet as a matter of
general interest。 A lady wrote from the North of Scotland recounting a
similar episode which she had witnessed as occurring between a stoat
and a blind grouse。 Somehow a lie seems so much less reprehensible
when one can call it a lee。
For awhile the adapter of the Seventh Pullet story enjoyed to the full
his altered standing as a person of consequence； one who had had some
share in the strange e