you overstep
the margin."

"How much money, for goodness' sake, is the Government paying?"

"I don't know exactly, but in addition to the regular allowance and
arrears there is a gratuity of something over a hundred pounds to your
account."

They were crossing Regent Street, and Flamby narrowly escaped being run
over;--but the pavement gained in safety, "--A hundred pounds!" she
exclaimed--"_I_ have a hundred pounds!"

"Roughly," said Don, smiling and taking her arm. "Then there are the
weekly instalments, of course. Oh, you have nothing to worry about,
Flamby. Furthermore it will not be very long before you find a market
for your work and then you will be independent of State aid."

In truth, now that he was hopelessly enmeshed in his own net, Don
experienced dire misgivings, wondering what Flamby would say, wondering
what Flamby would do, when she learned of the conspiracy as she could
not fail to learn of it sooner or later. But at the moment he was solely
concerned with making her forget her sorrows, and in this he had
succeeded. Flamby was radiantly happy and at last could think of the
sweet countryside she had left behind without discovering a lump in her
throat.

* * * * *

Luncheon in a popular Piccadilly grill-room provided an intensely
thrilling experience. Flamby's acute sensibilities and inherent
appreciation of the fitness of things rendered her ill at ease, but the
gay music of the orchestra did much to restore her to harmony with
herself, and Don's unaffected delight in her company did the rest. So in
time she forgot the home-made black dress and became fascinated by her
novel surroundings and lost in the study of these men and women who
belonged to a new, a partly perceived world, but a world into which she
had longed to enter. Her personal acquaintance with the ways of modern
Babylon was limited to the crowded experiences of a day-visit with her
father and mother, a visit eagerly anticipated and never forgotten.
Michael Duveen had seemingly never regretted that place in the world
which he had chosen to forfeit. He had lived and worked like a labouring
man and had taken his pleasures like one. On that momentous day they had
visited Westminster Abbey, the Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament
and Nelson's Monument, had lunched at one of Messrs. Lockhart's
establishments, had taken a ride in the Tube and performed a hasty tour
of the Zoo, where they had consumed, v