n't tell her. 'He'll be here in a minute,' I said; 'I'll introduce
him to you.' We waited for about a minute and, when you didn't come, I
went out into the hall. 'He's gone, Madam,' Porter told me in her most
Mayfair manner. 'Gone!' I exclaimed. 'He can't have gone without saying
good-by.' But I was afraid you had, so I went on to the steps and called
after you. I don't know whether you heard me. When I came back into the
drawing-room, Di was smiling. 'I've read about lordly butlers,' she
said, 'but it's the first time I ever met one.' So there you are! You
can imagine what a trouble I had to clear myself. I only downed her
suspicions when I assured her that you were on the point of becoming
engaged to Terry."

Instantly Terry's eyes sought his; the laughter died out of them. He
shared her annoyance that Lady Dawn should have received this piece of
information--Lady Dawn of all persons. He wasn't engaged to Terry. He
was a long way from being engaged to her--perhaps further at this moment
than since his return.

The silence that followed made Maisie aware that she had been guilty of
a mistake. He suspected that she had intended to be guilty of it from
the start. Nevertheless, she played the part of innocence, making her
cornflower eyes eloquent with apology. "Oh, I'm afraid I've put my foot
in it. But you are almost engaged, aren't you?"

Tabs laughed good-humoredly. "It's all right, Mrs. Lockwood. You didn't
mean to, but you've paid me back in more than my own coin."

Porter relieved the tension at that moment by announcing that lunch was
served.

When they had taken their seats in the front-room, overlooking the
make-believe village-green, Terry surprised them by saying carelessly,
"Oh, Maisie, you remember General Braithwaite whom we nursed in our
hospital?"

Maisie looked up sharply, trying to warn her that Porter was still
present. "Of course I remember him," she said. "Since then we've both
met him a hundred times. I think Lord Taborley would like some bread,
Porter."

But Terry wasn't to be deterred. She seemed to be taking a perverse
delight in introducing the one subject on which it would have been most
fitting for her to have remained silent. "Since Tabs came back we've
found out all about the General. You'll never guess who he really is or
was. It's difficult to say whether he is or was, now that he's
demobilized."

Tabs recognized the blaze of recklessness in her eyes, like the glare of
lighted wi