he cried. "Are you sure that
you didn't misunderstand her?"

"Quite."

Lady Splay sat for a little while with her cheek propped upon her hand
and her brows drawn together in a perplexity.

"It's very strange," she said at length. "For Joan meant you to ask her
to marry you. She has been deliberately showing you that you weren't
indifferent to her. Joan would never have done that if she hadn't meant
you to ask her; or if she hadn't meant to accept you." She rose with a
gesture of despair.

"I give it up. But oh, how I'd love to smack her!" and with that
unrealisable desire burning furiously in her breast, Lady Splay marched
into the breakfast-room. Dennis Brown and Jupp were already in their
white flannels at the table. Miranda ran down into the room a moment
afterwards.

"Joan's the lazy one," she said, looking round the table. She had got
to bed at half-past four and looked as fresh as if she had slept the
clock round. "What are you going to eat, Colonel Luttrell?"

Luttrell was standing by her at the side table, and as they inspected
the dishes they were joined by Mr. Albany Todd.

"You were going it last night," Jupp called to him, with a note of
respect in his voice. "For a top-weight you're the hottest thing I have
seen in years. Stay another week in our academic company, and we shall
discover so many excellent qualities in you that we shall be calling you
Toddles."

"And then in the winter, I suppose, we'll go jumping together," said Mr.
Albany Todd.

Like many another round and heavy man, Mr. Albany Todd was an
exceptionally smooth dancer. His first dance on the night before he had
owed to the consideration of his hostess. Sheer merit had filled the
rest of his programme; and he sat down to breakfast now in a high good
humour. Sir Chichester stumped into the room when the serious part of
the meal was over, and all the newspapers already taken. He sat down in
front of his kidney and bacon and grunted.

"Any news in _The Times_, Mr. Albany Todd?"

"No! No!" replied Mr. Albany Todd in an abstracted voice, with his head
buried between the pages. "Would you like it, Sir Chichester?"

He showed no intention of handing it over; and Sir Chichester replied
with as much indifference as he could assume,

"Oh, there's no hurry."

"No, we have all the morning, haven't we?" said Mr. Albany Todd
pleasantly.

Sir Chichester ate some breakfast and drank some tea. "No news in your
paper is there, Dennis, my bo