178 OCCASIONAL HAPPY THOUGHTS. 



Now I am annoyed. Because if there is one thing which 

 I have not done it is to have over-eaten myself. 



Happy Thought. — Not worth replying to. Silence speaks 

 contempt. The advantage of being a little distance from 

 town in a real country place (such as is ours where my Aunt's 

 cottage is situated) is that, when you are ill, your friends can 

 come out to see you, and spend an hour or so with you. 



Boodells said, when he arrived, that if I didn't mind he'd 

 stop to dinner. I was delighted, and said " of course." But 

 if he's gomg to talk so unsympathetically I really should be 

 glad if he went away, unless he is going to alter his tone. 

 Odd though, this sort of quarrel, or little difference with him, 

 has made me feel decidedly better. I have been irritated, 

 and this has roused me. 



It is annoying to be better when you've sent post-cards to 

 friends to come and see how ill you are. I expect Milburd 

 and Cazell : also the Doctor. If they all arrive and find me 

 not only quite well, but having a lively row with Boodells, 

 they'll think I'm a humbug. They won't consider that it's 

 only a momentary flash in the pan (so to speak) and that 

 next minute I shall be worse than ever. They'll simply say, 

 " O, you're all right ! " Even Job himself would have lost 

 patience in the same situation. [On reconsideration, if his 

 friends had come in and found him having a row with another 

 friend, of course Job would have already lost his patience : 

 so that that parallel, excellent as it appeared at first sight, 

 won't stand. Add this as a note to my Queries of Humanity, 

 under the head of Job.] 



