s last words, he
was by my side.

"I beg pardon, sir, but Miss Driver has telephoned from London to say
that she'll be down to-morrow and glad to see you at lunch. And I was to
say, sir, would you be so kind as to send word to Mr. Octon that she
would be very pleased if he would come, too, if his engagements
permitted."

"Oh--yes--very good, Loft. This is Mr. Octon."

"Yes, sir," said Loft. The tone was noncommittal. He knew Octon--but
declared no opinion.

I was taken aback, for I had received no word of her coming; I had been
led not to expect her for four or five weeks. Octon's eye caught mine.

"Changed her mind and come back sooner? Well, I did just the same
myself."

By themselves the words were nothing. In connection with our little
duel--backed by the man's broad smile and the forceful assertion of his
personality--they amounted to a yet plainer boast--"I've come--and I
thought she would." That is too plain for speech--even for Octon's
ill-restrained tongue--but not too plain for his bearing. But then I
doubted whether his bearing were toward facts or merely toward me--were
proof of force or effort after effect.

"Clearly Miss Chatters can't keep away from you!" I said.

"Clearly we're going to have a more amusing time than we'd been hoping,"
he answered and, with a casual and abrupt "Good-by," turned on his heel,
taking out another great cigar as he went.

Perhaps we were--if amusing should prove to be the right word about it.
So ran my instinct--with no express reason to be given for it. Why
should not Jenny come home? Why should Octon's coming have anything to
do with it? In truth I was affected, I was half dominated for the
moment, by his confidence and his force. I had taken the impression he
wanted to give--just as he accused me of taking the impression that
Jenny sought to give. So I told myself consolingly. But I could not help
remembering that in those countries which he frequented, where he got
his insects and very probably his ideas, men were said as often to win
or lose--to live or die--by the impression they imparted to friends,
foes, and rivals as by the actual deeds they did. I could not judge how
far that was true--but that or something like it was surely what they
called prestige? If a man created prestige, you did not even try to
oppose him. Nay, you hastened to range yourself on his side--and your
real little power went to swell his asserted big power--his power big in
assertion bu