Me: Have you seen the boys?
Nell: Which boys? Henry and Horst are having some kind of Insect Gathering in the garden and Malcolm and Manuel are peeling vegetables for the Sunday Roast in the kitchen.
Me: I meant Dave and Nigel.
Nell: They’re in the living room telling jokes.
Me: Jokes?
Nell: It’s a boy thing. They seem to find it funny.
Me: Is Sally with them?
Nell: No, she’s gone to choose a hat for Sunday Songs.
Me: Where? It’s Sunday.
Nell: At The Cat’s apartment. It has hundreds in its Dressing Up Box.
Me: I don’t think a hat is the real reason Sally has gone to the Stately Home.
Nell: Yes, it is.
Me: I think it’s all part of her investigation.
Nell: Nonsense.
Me: I bet she comes back without a hat.
Nell: You have far too much imagination for your own good.
Me: I think Sally is checking up on Nice Lady Anwen. She’s staying there, isn’t she?
Nell: Yes. But Sally was chatting to her at afternoon tea yesterday?
Me: I know and she looked decidedly puzzled to me.
Nell: She was puzzled because David gave her a half-eaten scone.
Me: Darling Big Brave Beautiful Boy. Mistakes can happen, especially when you’re overexcited. She was puzzled about Nice Lady Anwen.
Nell: What about Nice Lionel King?
Me: Lionel King will never be Nice.
Nell: If Sally was puzzled she wouldn’t let anyone know she was puzzled. She’s too clever for that.
Me: She disguised it by pretending it was about Dave. You fell for it.
Nell: Are you telling me you noticed something I didn’t?
Me: Yes. I can be quite astute when I want to be. Have you seen my reading glasses?
Nell: They’re on your head.
Me: So they are. Sorry.
