He walked past her into the hall, and the little manservant suddenly
materialised in the middle of the space and came forward to brush him
obsequiously. Lady Harman regarded that proceeding for some moments in a
preoccupied manner and then passed slowly into the classical
conservatory. She felt that in view of her engagements the discussion of
Lady Beach-Mandarin was only just beginning.

Sec.7

She reopened it herself in the long drawing-room into which they both
drifted after Sir Isaac had washed the mould from his hands. She went to
a French window, gathered courage, it seemed, by a brief contemplation
of the garden, and turned with a little effort.

"I don't agree," she said, "with you about Lady Beach-Mandarin."

Sir Isaac appeared surprised. He had assumed the incident was closed.
"_How?_" he asked compactly.

"I don't agree," said Lady Harman. "She seems friendly and jolly."

"She's a Holy Terror," said Sir Isaac. "I've seen her twice, Lady
Harman."

"A call of that kind," his wife went on, "--when there are cards left
and so on--has to be returned."

"You won't," said Sir Isaac.

Lady Harman took a blind-tassel in her hand,--she felt she had to hold
on to something. "In any case," she said, "I should have to do that."

"In any case?"

She nodded. "It would be ridiculous not to. We----It is why we know so
few people--because we don't return calls...."

Sir Isaac paused before answering. "We don't _want_ to know a lot of
people," he said. "And, besides----Why! anybody could make us go running
about all over London calling on them, by just coming and calling on us.
No sense in it. She's come and she's gone, and there's an end of it."

"No," said Lady Harman, gripping her tassel more firmly. "I shall have
to return that call."

"I tell you, you won't."

"It isn't only a call," said Lady Harman. "You see, I promised to go
there to lunch."

"Lunch!"

"And to go to a meeting with her."

"Go to a meeting!"

"--of a society called the Social Friends. And something else. Oh! to go
to the committee meetings of her Shakespear Dinners Movement."

"I've heard of that."

"She said you supported it--or else of course...."

Sir Isaac restrained himself with difficulty.

"Well," he said at last, "you'd better write and tell her you can't do
any of these things; that's all."

He thrust his hands into his trousers pockets and walked to the French
window next to the one in which she stood, with