who had no
engagement for that evening, went presently to the telephone. Although
in her note to Craven by implication she had left it to him to suggest
a tete-a-tete dinner in Soho, she was now resolved to ask him. She was a
girl of the determined modern type, not much troubled by the delicacies
or inclined to wait humbly on the pleasure of men. If a man did not show
her the way, she was quite ready to show the way to him. Without being
precisely of the huntress type, she knew how to take bow and arrow in
her hand.

She rang up Craven, and the following dialogue took place at the
telephone.

"Yes? Yes?"

"Is Mr. Craven there?"

"Yes, I am Alick Craven. Who is it, please?"

"Don't you know?"

"One minute! Is it--I'm afraid I don't."

"Beryl Van Tuyn."

"Of course! I knew the voice at once, but somehow I couldn't place it.
How are you, Miss Van Tuyn?"

"Dangerously well."

"That's splendid."

"And you?"

"I'm what dull people call very fit and cheery."

"How dreadful! Now, tell me--are you engaged to-night? I'm sure you
aren't, because I want you to take me to dine at the _Bella Napoli_.
We agreed to tell each other when we were free. So I take you at your
word."

"Oh, I'm awfully sorry!"

"What?"

"I'm ever so sorry."

"Why?"

"I have a dinner engagement to-night."

"What a bore! But surely you can get out of it?"

"I'm afraid not. No, really I can't."

"Send an excuse! Say you are ill."

"I can't honestly. It's--it's rather important. Besides, the fact is,
I'm the host."

"Oh!"

The timbre of Miss Van Tuyn's voice changed slightly at this crisis in
the conversation.

"Oh--if you're the host, of course. . . . You really _are_ the host?"

"Yes, I really am. So you see!"

"No, but I hear and understand. Never mind. Ask me another night."

"Yes--that's it. Another night. Thank you so much. By the way, does the
living bronze--"

"What? The living what?"

"Bronze! . . . The living bronze--"

"Oh, yes. Well, what about it?"

"Does it wear petticoats or trousers?"

"Trousers."

"Then I think I rather hate it."

"You--"

But at this point the exchange intervened. Then something happened; and
then Craven heard a voice saying:

"No, darling! It's the teeth--the teeth on the left-hand side. You know
when we were at the Carlton I was in agony. Tell Annie not to--"

It was useless to persist. Besides, he did not want to. So he put up
the receiver. Almost immediately afterward