until everybody would have begun asking why in the world I
used it. Oh, Miranda, quick!"

Her ears had heard the voices already in the hall. Miranda heard them
too. In a moment the door would be thrown open. She must make up her
mind now.

"Very well. The first turning to the right down the avenue and behind
the rhododendrons. I'll tell the chauffeur."

"And no one else! Not even Dennis!"

"Joan!"

"No, not even Dennis! Promise me!"

Millie Splay was heard to be inquiring for them both.

"Very well. I promise!"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you."

The door from the hall was opened upon that cry of gratitude and Millie
Splay looked in.

"Oh, there you are." A movement of chairs became audible in the
dining-room. "And those men are still sitting over their miserable
cigars."

"They are coming," said Joan, and the next moment the dining-room door
was thrown open and Sir Chichester with his guests trooped out from it.

"Now then, you girls, we ought to be off," he cried as if he had been
waiting with his coat on for half an hour. "This is none of your London
dances. We are in the country. You won't any of you get any partners if
you don't hurry."

"Well, I like that!" returned Millie Splay. "Here we all are, absolutely
waiting for you!"

Mr. Albany Todd approached Joan.

"You will keep a dance for me?"

"Of course. The third before supper," answered Joan.

Already Sir Chichester was putting on his coat in the hall.

"Come on! Come on!" he cried impatiently, and then in quite another
tone, "Oh!"

The evening papers had arrived late that evening. They now lay neatly
folded on the hall table. Sir Chichester pounced upon them. The
throbbing motor-cars at the door, the gay figures of his guests were
all forgotten. He plumped down upon a couch.

"There!" cried Millie Splay in despair. "Now we can all sit down for
half an hour."

"Nonsense, my dear, nonsense! I just want to see whether there is any
report of my little speech at the Flower Show yesterday." He turned over
the leaves. "Not a word apparently, here! And yet it was an occasion of
some importance. I can't understand these fellows."

He tossed the paper aside and took up another. "Just a second, dear!"

Millie Splay looked around at her guests with much the same expression
of helpless wonderment which was so often to be seen on the face of
Dennis Brown, when Miranda went racing.

"It's the limit!" she declared.

There were two, however, of the