e morrow. But he
was free.

In the foyer a couple--a woman in a rose plush _sortie de bal_, and a
blade--were mysteriously talking. The blade looked at him, smiled, and
left the lady.

"Hal_lo_, old fellow!" It was Buckingham Smith, who had been getting on
in the world.

They shook hands.

"You've left Chelsea, haven't you?"

"Yes," said George.

"So've I. Don't see much of the old gang nowadays. Heard anything of old
Princey lately?"

George replied that he had not. The colloquy was over in a moment.

"You must come and see my show--next week," Buck Smith called out after
the departing George.

"I will," cried George.

He walked quickly up to Russell Square, impatient to steep himself anew
in his work. All sense of fatigue had left him. Time seemed to be flying
past him, and he rushing towards an unknown fate. On the previous day he
had received an enheartening, challenging, sardonic letter from his
stepfather, who referred to politics and envisaged a new epoch for the
country. Edwin Clayhanger was a Radical of a type found only in the
Midlands and the North. For many years Clayhanger's party, to which he
was passionately faithful, had had no war-cry and no programme worthy of
its traditions. The increasing success of the campaign against
Protection, and certain signs that the introduction of Chinese labour
into South Africa could be effectively resisted, had excited the
middle-aged provincial--now an Alderman--and he had managed to
communicate fire to George. But in George, though he sturdily shared his
stepfather's views, the resulting righteous energy was diverted to
architectural creation.

III

The circumstances in which, about a month later, George lunched with the
Ingram family at their flat in the Rue d'Athenes, near the Gare St.
Lazare, Paris, had an appearance of the utmost simplicity and
ordinariness. He had been down to Staffordshire for a rest, and had
returned unrested. And then Mr. Enwright had suggested that it would do
him good to go to Paris, even to go alone. He went, with no plan, but
having made careful arrangements for the telegraphing to him of the
result of the competition, which was daily expected. By this time he was
very seriously convinced that there was no hope of him being among the
selected six or ten, and he preferred to get the news away from London
rather than in it; he felt that he could not face London on the day or
the morrow of a defeat which would of course r