e Marble Arch," she said. "The reason he gives
is that he is going to take a Turkish Bath in the Harrow Road. But that
is a lie that even an American girl brought up in Paris is unable to
swallow. What are you really going to do, Dick?"

As she spoke she walked on, having Garstin on one side of her and
Francis Braybrooke on the other.

"I'm going to have a good sweat in the Harrow Road."

Braybrooke was disgusted. It was not that he really minded the word
used to indicate the process which obtains in a Turkish Bath. No; it was
Garstin's blatant way of speaking it that offended his susceptibilities.
The man was perpetually defying the decencies and delicacies which were
as perfume in Braybrooke's nostrils.

"The doctors say that it is an excellent thing to open the pores," said
Braybrooke discreetly.

Garstin cast a glance at him, as if he now saw him for the first time.

"Do you mean to tell us you believe in doctors?" he said.

"I do, in some doctors," said Braybrooke. "There are charlatans in all
professions unfortunately."

"And some of them are R.A.'s," said Miss Van Tuyn. "By the way, Dick is
going to paint me."

"Really! How very splendid!" said Braybrooke, again with exaggerated
cordiality. "With such a subject I'm sure--"

But here he was interrupted by Garstin, who said:

"She tells everyone I'm going to paint her because she hopes by
reiteration to force me to do it. But she isn't the type that interests
me."

"My dear Dick, I'll gladly take to morphia or drink if it will help,"
said Miss Van Tuyn. "I can easily get the Cafe Royal expression. One has
only to sit with a glass of something the colour of absinthe in front of
one and look sea-sick. I'm perfectly certain that with a week or two's
practice I could look quite as degraded as Cora."

"Cora?" said Braybrooke, alertly, hearing a name he did not know.

"She's a horror who goes to the Cafe Royal and whom Dick calls a free
woman."

"Free from all the virtues, I suppose!" said Braybrooke smartly.

"Good-bye both of you!" said Garstin at this juncture.

"But we haven't got to the Marble Arch!"

"What's that got to do with it? I'm off."

He seemed to be going, then stopped, and directed the two pin-points of
light at Miss Van Tuyn.

"I flatly refuse to make an Academy portrait of you, so don't hope for
it," he said. "But if you come along to the studio to-morrow afternoon
you may possibly find me at work on a blackmailer."

"Dick!" s