ies exchanged glances which Braybrooke
longed to contradict--"as she is going to call on Lady Sellingworth
presently."

"Ah!" said Mrs. Clem Hodson, gazing steadily at Fanny Cronin.

"In Berkeley Square!" added Braybrooke emphatically. "And to-night she
is dining out."

"Did she say where?" asked Miss Cronin, slightly moving her ears.

"No; she didn't."

"Thank you," said Miss Cronin. "Good-bye, Mr. Braybrooke."

She held out her hand like one making a large and difficult concession
to her own Christianity. Mrs. Clem Hodson bowed again from the waist and
also made a concession. She muttered, "Very glad to have met you!" and
then cleared her throat, while the criss-cross of wrinkles moved all
over her face.

"I will make it all right with the manager," said Braybrooke, with
over-anxious earnestness, and feeling now quite definitely that he
must really have proposed to Miss Cronin for Miss Van Tuyn's hand that
afternoon, and that he must have just lied about the disposal of her
time until she had to dress for dinner.

"The manager?" said Miss Cronin.

"What manager?" said Mrs. Clem Hodson.

"About the plum cake! Surely you remember?"

"Oh--the plum cake!" said Mrs. Hodson, looking steadily at Fanny Cronin.
"Thank you very much indeed! Very good of you!"

"Thank you," said Miss Cronin, with a sudden piteous look. "I did eat
two slices. Come, Suzanne! Good-bye again, Mr. Braybrooke."

They turned to go out. As Braybrooke watched the musquash slowly
vanishing he knew in his bones that, when he did not become engaged
to Miss Van Tuyn, Fanny Cronin, till the day of her death, would
feel positive that he had proposed to her that afternoon and had been
rejected. And he muttered in his beard:

"Damn these red-headed old women! I will _not_ make it all right with
the manager about the plum cake!"

It was a poor revenge, but the only one he could think of at the moment.

"Is anything the matter?" asked Miss Van Tuyn when he rejoined her. "Has
old Fanny been tiresome?"

"Oh, no--no! But old Fan--I beg your pardon, I mean Miss Cronin--Miss
Cronin has a peculiar--but she is very charming. I gave her your
message, and she quite understood. We were talking about plum cake. That
is why I was so long."

"I see! A fascinating subject like that must be difficult to get away
from."

"Yes--very! What a delightful woman Mrs. Hodson is."

"I think her extremely wearisome. Her nature is as wrinkled as her face.
And now