ieve in Mr. Amarinth?"

"Certainly. He is so witty. He gives one thoughts too, and that saves
one such a lot of trouble. People who keep looking about in their own
minds for thoughts are always so stupid. Mr. Amarinth gives you enough
thoughts in an hour to last you for a couple of days."

"I doubt if they are worth very much. I suppose he gives Lord Reggie all
his thoughts?"

"Yes, I dare say. He supplies half London, I believe. There is always
some one of that kind going about. And as to his epigrams, they are in
every one's mouth."

"That must make them rather monotonous," said Lady Locke, as the horses'
heads were turned homewards, and they rolled smoothly towards Belgrave
Square.

In the drawing-room they found a very thin, short-sighted looking woman
sitting quietly, apparently engaged in examining the pictures and
ornaments through a double eyeglass with a slender tortoise shell stalk,
which she held in her hand. She had a curious face, with a long rather
Jewish nose, and a thin-lipped mouth, a face wrinkled about the small
eyes, above which was pasted a thick fringe of light brown hair covered
with a visible "invisible" net.

"Madame Valtesi!" exclaimed Mrs. Windsor. "You have come in person to
give me your answer about my week? That is charming. Are you coming out
into the desert with us? Let me introduce my cousin, Lady Locke--Madame
Valtesi."

The thin lady bowed peeringly. She seemed very blind indeed. Then she
said, in a voice perhaps twenty years older than her middle-aged face,
"How do you do? Yes, I will play the hermit with pleasure. I came to say
so. You go down next Tuesday, or is it Wednesday?"

"On Wednesday. We shall be a charming little party, and so witty. Lord
Reginald Hastings and Mr. Amarinth are both coming, and Mr. Tyler. My
cousin and I complete the sextet. Oh! I had forgotten Tommy. But he does
not count, not as a wit, I mean. He is my cousin's little boy. He is to
play about with the curate's children. That will be so elevating for
him."

"Delightful," said Madame Valtesi, with a face of stone. "No tea, thank
you. I only stopped to tell you. I have three parties this afternoon.
Good-bye. To-morrow morning I am going to get my trousseau for the
desert, a shady garden hat, and gloves with gauntlets, and a
walking-cane."

She gave a little croaking laugh with a cleverly taken girlish note at
the end of it, and walked very slowly and quietly out of the room.

"I am so glad she