loser to the head than before, and look
much less striking and conspicuous. The new way of doing her hair
changed her appearance considerably, made her less like a Ceres and more
like a Puritan. When she was quite satisfied with her hair she got out
of her wrapper, and presently put on an absolutely plain black coat and
skirt, a black hat which came down very low on her forehead, a black
veil and black suede gloves. Then she took a tightly furled umbrella
with an ebony handle out of her wardrobe, picked up her purse, unlocked
her door and stepped out into the lobby.

Her French maid appeared from somewhere. She was a rather elderly woman
with a clever, but not unpleasantly subtle, face. Miss Van Tuyn said a
few words to her in a low voice, opened the lobby door and went out.

She took the lift, glided down, walked slowly and carelessly across the
hall and passed out by the swing door.

"A taxi, madam?" said the commissionaire in livery.

She shook her head and walked away down Brook Street in the direction of
Grosvenor Square.

As Craven had predicted it was a fine clear night, dry underfoot, starry
overhead. If Miss Van Tuyn had had with her a chosen companion she would
have enjoyed her walk. She was absolutely self-possessed, and thoroughly
capable of taking care of herself. No terrors of London affected her
spirit. But she was angry and bored at being alone. She felt almost
for the first time in her life neglected and even injured. And she was
determined to try to find out whether her strong suspicions about Lady
Sellingworth and Craven were well founded. If really Craven was giving
a dinner somewhere, and Lady Sellingworth was dining with friends
somewhere else, she had no special reason for irritation. She might
possibly be mistaken in her unpleasant conviction that both of them had
something to do which they preferred to dining with her. But if they
were dining together and alone she would know exactly how things were
between them. For neither of them had done what would surely have been
the natural thing to do if there were no desire for concealment; neither
of them had frankly stated the truth about the dinner.

"If they are dining together they don't wish me to know it," Miss Van
Tuyn said to herself, as she walked along Grosvenor Square and turned
down Carlos Place. "For if I had known it they might have felt obliged
to invite me to join them, as I was inviting them, and as I was the one
who introduced A