e just in time to save us from falling out. I've been telling
Miss Dunbarton that in another age she would have been a sort of Dinah
Morris, or more likely another St. Ursula with a train of seven thousand
virgins.'

'And all because I've told him about my Girls' Club! and----'

'Yes,' he said, '"and"----' He turned away and shook hands with his two
kinsmen. He sat talking to them with his back to the girl.

It was a study in those delicate weights and measures that go to
estimating the least tangible things in personality, to note how his
action seemed not only to dim her vividness but actually to efface the
girl. In the first moments she herself accepted it at that. Her looks
said: He is not aware of me any more--ergo, I don't exist.

During the slight distraction incident to the bringing in of tea, and
Mr. Freddy's pushing up some of the big chairs, Mr. Stonor had a
moment's remembrance of her. He spoke of his Scottish plans and fell to
considering dates. Then all of a sudden she saw that again and yet more
woundingly his attention had wandered. The moment came while Lord
Borrodaile was busy Russianizing a cup of tea, and Mr. Freddy, balancing
himself on very wide-apart legs in front of his wife's tea-table, had
interrogated her--

'What do you think, shall I ring and say we aren't at home?'

'Perhaps it would be----' Mrs. Freddy's eye flying back from Stonor
caught her brother-in-law's. 'Freddy'--she arrested her husband as he
was making for the bell--'say, "except to Miss Levering."'

'All right. Except to Miss Levering.' And it was at that point that Jean
saw she wasn't being listened to.

Even Mrs. Freddy, looking up, was conscious of something in Stonor's
face that made her say--

'Old Sir Hervey's youngest daughter. You knew _him_, I suppose, even if
you haven't met her. Jean, you aren't giving Mr. Stonor anything to
eat.'

'No, no, thanks. I don't know why I took this.' He set down his tea-cup.
'I never have tea.'

'You're like everybody else,' said the girl, in a half-petulant aside.

'Does nobody have tea?'

She lowered her voice while the others discussed who had already been
sent away, and who might still be expected to invade.

'Nobody remembers anybody else when that Miss Levering of theirs is to
the fore. You began to say when--to talk about Scotland.'

He had taken out his watch. 'I was wondering if the children were down
yet. Shall we go and see?'

Jean jumped up with alacrity.