g."

"It is scarcely time yet," said Miss Brooke heroically. She knew it was
ten minutes past, but she was quite prepared to sacrifice truth for the
maintenance of her brother's dignity.

"That's a good one of the Parthenon," said Caspar negligently, putting
his hand within his wife's arm, and leading her from one picture to
another. "The Coliseum you see: not quite so clear as it might be. These
frames were made by one of the men in the buildings--given as a present
to the club. Not bad taste, are they? And this statuette----".

He broke off suddenly. He had been going on hurriedly and feverishly,
filling up the time as best he might, trying to forget the embarrassing
situation into which he had brought his wife and himself, when the sound
of heavy footsteps fell upon his ear. A sound of shuffling, the creak of
men's boots, a little gruff whispering in the doorway--what was it all
about? Were the men whom he had helped and guided going to turn against
him openly--to give him in his wife's presence some other insult beside
the tacit insult of their absence? He turned round sharply, with the
feeling that if he was brought to bay the men would have a bad time of
it. He certainly looked a formidable antagonist. The hair had fallen
over his forehead, his brows were knotted, his eyes gleamed rather
fiercely beneath them, his under lip was thrust out aggressively. "As
fierce as a lion," said one of the observers, afterwards. But even while
his eyes darted flame and fury at the men who had deserted them, his
body kept its half-protecting, half-deferential pose with respect to
Lady Alice; and the hand that held her arm was studiously gentle in its
touch.

Lady Alice turned round, amazed. There was a little crowd in the
passage: the room was already half full. Men and women too were there,
and more crowded in from behind. There must have been nearly fifty, when
all were seen, and there were more men than women. But they did not sit
down: they stood, they leaned against the walls; one or two mounted on
the benches at the back and stood where they could get a good view of
the proceedings. Caspar's scowl remained fixed, but it was a scowl of
astonishment. He looked round for Maurice, whom he presently saw
beckoning to him to take his usual place near the piano. He said a word
to his wife, and brought her round with him towards his sister and his
friend. The men still stood, and crowded a little nearer to him as he
reached his p