in New Zealand. Allen played in both, but batted just once and, still feeling the effects of his injury, took only two wickets. The team returned to England via Canada, but Allen parted company in Vancouver to meet friends in Los Angeles. During his trip, he met several Hollywood stars and passed through Chicago and New York on his way back to England. In New York, he met and fell in love with Norah Grace, the daughter of a shipping magnate. She travelled to England in 1934, and the pair wrote frequently to each other, but Grace died from Bright's disease in 1935. Allen did not feel suited to working in a department store, and on his return home took a job with the stockbroking company David Bevan and Co. Consequently, he played little cricket in 1933. He planned to be unavailable for the Test matches against the West Indies, but Larwood was injured and Voce out of form, so he was persuaded to play in the first Test. He played little thereafter that season and declined an invitation to tour India with an MCC team. In three games that season, he scored 199 runs and took 13 wickets. That December, he was elected as a member of the Stock Exchange. As the 1934 season began, Allen was recovering from an operation to repair a rupture and played only once before that summer's Ashes series, in which Bob Wyatt captained England. Injury ruled him out of the second Test, but he was fit for the third. In a drawn game, he scored 61 runs but took no wickets; troubled by uneven footholds, he bowled three wides and four no-balls during his first over, which lasted for 13 deliveries. He was selected for the fourth Test but, unhappy with his fitness, withdrew to play for Middlesex. He was successful in several games preceding the final, deciding Test, and was included in the team. Australia won comfortably after scoring 701 in their first innings; Allen took four for 170 and was wicketless in the second innings. In two Tests, he took five wickets at an average in excess of 70 and scored 106 runs at 35.33. In all first-class games that season he scored 438 runs at 25.76 and took 51 wickets at 27.49. Amid growing speculation that Allen would be chosen as the next England captain, Warner arranged for him to