lady nearest him, she gave no
sign of making the personal application.

'Now I expressly forbid your encouraging Vida in silence! Most men like
to be amused. You know perfectly well _you_ do!'

'Ah, yes,' he said languidly, catching Haycroft's eye and almost making
terms with him upon a common ground of masculine understanding. 'Yes,
yes. It is well known what children we are. Pleased with a rattle!'
Then, as if fearing he might be going too far, he smiled that disarming
smile of his, and said good-humouredly, 'I know now why you are called a
good hostess.'

'Why?' asked the lady a little anxiously, for his compliments were not
always soothing.

A motion towards the watch-pocket. 'No one, to look at you, would
suppose that your spirit was racked between the clock and the door.'

'Oh,' she said, relieved, 'if they come in five minutes or so, you'll
see! The dinner won't be a penny the worse. Jules is such a wizard. All
I mind is seeing Freddy fussed.' She turned with an engaging smile to
her minister again. 'Freddy has the most angelic temper except when he's
hungry--bless him! Now that he's talking to Vida Levering, Freddy'll
forget whether it's before dinner or after.'

'What! what!' said a brisk old gentleman, with a face like a peculiarly
wicked monkey. He abandoned Mrs. Townley with enthusiasm in order to
say to his hostess, 'Show me the witch who can work that spell!'

'Oh, dear, I'm afraid,' said Mrs. Freddy, prettily, 'I'm dreadfully
afraid that means you're starving! Does it make you morose as it does
Freddy?' she asked, with an air of comic terror. 'Then we won't wait.'
She tossed out one arm with a funny little movement that sent her thin
draperies floating as though towards the bell.

'My dear lady!' the old gentleman arrested her. 'I hunger, it is true,
but only for knowledge.' In a silent but rather horrible laugh he
wrinkled up his aged nose, which was quite enough wrinkled and
sufficiently 'up' already. 'Who _is_ the witch?'

'Why, we were talking about a member of your family.' She turned again
to the new minister. 'Mr. Fox-Moore--Sir--oh! how absurd! I was going to
introduce two pillars of the State to one another. I _must_ be anxious
about those late people, after all.'

'As a matter of fact you and I never have met,' said Haycroft, cordially
taking old Mr. Fox-Moore's hand. 'Beside you permanent officials we
ephemerae, the sport of parties----'

'Ah, _that's_ all right!' Mrs. Freddy's he