y periodical to read on the way up, and when she reached King's
Cross she deliberately left the valuable magazine in the carriage behind
her. That struck the high, reckless note. How often had she nursed a
halfpenny paper through the whole of a traffic-distracted day that she
might read the feuilleton at night!

"Taxi, miss?" suggested the porter when he had ascertained that she had
no luggage.

"I think not," said Myra. "I believe my car's waiting for me." She felt
that she had said it perfectly--without obvious pleasure, and without
that air of intense languor that is always accepted on the stage as
indicative of aristocracy, and never seen elsewhere.

She could tell the porter how to recognise the car--information supplied
to her by the company from whom she had hired it--and the porter brought
it up for her. Her first thought was that it looked splendid. Her second
thought was that beyond a doubt she had recognised the face of the
liveried driver.

She gave the porter a shilling, and sent him away. (Her usual tips for
porters had varied from nothing to twopence, with a preference for the
former.) Then she turned to the driver, a young man, with a handsome,
clean-shaven face and dark, rebellious eyes.

"I know you," she said. "You are Mr Davenant."

"Quite true, Miss Larose. But that need make no difference. You have
bought my services for the day, you know. You will find me just as
attentive and respectful as any other servant. Where to, miss?"

"No, no. I want to talk to you. I must. Oh, it's too awful that you
should have come down to this. Mrs Dewlop must have been vindictive
indeed."

"She was certainly angry." He smiled reminiscently--he had a charming
smile. "She had every right to be."

"Look here," she said impulsively, "what is to prevent you from lunching
with me?"

"Your plans for the day--this car--and, for the matter of that, my
clothes."

"I have no appointments, and no fixed plans. I was going to amuse myself
just anyhow. I shall like this far better. Oh, can't you arrange it for
me?"

"I should like it, too, and I can arrange it all very easily if you
don't mind waiting half an hour."

"Of course I'll wait--wait here, if you like."

"You would find the National Gallery more interesting, and I can take
you there in a few minutes."

"Yes, that's better. Thanks awfully. This is splendid."

At the National Gallery she looked at certain pictures with appreciative
intelligence. Then s