"Yes, certainly. I referred to your 'Veni, vidi, vici' with Mrs. Halton.
You laid firm hold of her yesterday, and have not let her go since. I
don't imply that she has wanted to go."

Jim, in spite of the large quantities of outrageous nonsense which he
often talked, had a very fair allowance of brains, and when he chose to
talk sense was worth listening to. So, at any rate, Tom Lindfield
thought now.

"I wish you'd go on," he said, "and just tell me all that is in your
mind."

"By all means, if you promise not to knock me down or anything. It's
just this--that we've all been asking ourselves, 'Is it to be the aunt
or the niece?'"

"And who has been asking themselves that?" asked Lindfield.

"Oh, everybody except, perhaps, Braithwaite and poor wandering Willie.
Mrs. Beaumont and Lady Sybil were hard at it when you and Mrs. Halton
strolled out after dinner. They tore Mrs. Halton open as you tear open
a--a registered envelope. With the same greed, you understand."

"Cats!" remarked Lindfield.

"Oh, yes. But I like to hear them 'meaow.' Braithwaite didn't; he
listened to just one remark and then went away looking black."

"What has he got to do with it?" asked Tom.

"Oh, he's great friends with the M. W.," said Jim, "and he is one of
those nice old-fashioned people who never talk evil of people behind
their backs. But where are you to talk evil of people except behind
their backs? That's what I want to know. You can't do it in front of
their faces, as it would not be polite."

"Don't be epigrammatic, there's a good fellow," said Tom. "It only
confuses me."

"Well, you've confused us. You were supposed to be walking out, so to
speak, with Miss Daisy. Instead of which you leave her completely alone,
and walk out all the time with Mrs. Halton. Oh, I don't deny that she is
running after you. She is; at least, so the cats said. It's confusing,
you know; I don't think any one knows where we all are."

Lindfield took a turn or two up and down the room, took up a cue, and
slapped the red ball into a pocket.

"I'm sure I don't know where I am," he said, "but I expect we
shall all be in the deuce of a mess before long. About Mrs. Halton
running after me, that is absolutely all rot. What brutes women are
to each other! And they say, to use your expression, that I've been
walking out with Miss Daisy?"

"It has been supposed that you were going to ask her to marry you."

Lindfield sent one of the white balls after th