_An Invasion_ One afternoon, in December, Priam and Alice were in the sitting-room together, and Alice was about to prepare tea.

The drawn-thread cloth was laid diagonally on the table (because Alice had seen cloths so laid on model tea-tables in model rooms at Waring's), the strawberry jam occupied the northern point of the compass, and the marmalade was antarctic, while brittle cakes and spongy cakes represented the occident and the orient respectively.

Bread-and-butter stood, rightly, for the centre of the universe.

Silver ornamented the spread, and Alice's two tea-pots (for she would never allow even Chinese tea to remain on the leaves for more than five minutes) and Alice's water-jug with the patent balanced lid, occupied a tray off the cloth.

At some distance, but still on the table, a kettle moaned over a spirit-lamp.