nd almost seemed to
be preening her wings in the lamplight before she flew away.

"I say, what number is Drake's house?" Michael asked, with a consummate
affectation of casual enquiry.

She told him laughingly, and in a most malicious hurry would not even
linger a moment to ask him why he wanted to know. Coldly and
deliberately Michael after dinner rang the bell of Drake's house.

"Is--er--Master Arthur at home?" he asked the maid.

"Master Arthur," she cried. "Someone to see you."

"Hullo, Bangs," shouted Drake, emerging effusively from a doorway.

"Oh, hullo," said Michael loftily. "I thought I'd call to see if you
felt like coming out."

"Right-o," said Drake. "Wait half a tick while I tell my mater. Come in,
and meet my people."

"Oh, no," said Michael. "I'm beastly untidy."

He would condescend to Drake for the sake of his love, but he did not
think that love demanded the sacrifice of condescending to a possibly
more expansive acquaintance with Drake's family.

"So you've met the fair Lily," Drake said, as they strolled along.
"Pretty smart, what, my boy?"

"I'm going to tea with them to-morrow," Michael informed him.

"Mrs. Haden's a bit thick," said Drake confidentially. "And Doris is of
a very coming-on disposition."

Michael thought of Alan and sighed; then he thought of himself listening
to this and he was humiliated.

"But Lily is a bit stand-offish," said Drake. "Of course I never could
stand very fair girls, myself. I say, talking of girls, there's a girl
in Sherringham Road, well--she's an actress's French maid, as a matter
of fact, but, my gad, if you like cayenne, you ought to come along with
me, and I'll introduce you. She'll be alone now. Are you on?"

"Oh, thanks very much," said Michael. "But I must get back. Good-night,
Drake."

"Well, you're a nice chap to ask a fellow to come out. Come on, don't be
an ass. Her name's Marie."

"I don't care if her name's Marie or Mabel or what it is," Michael
declared in exasperation. "I'm sorry. I've got to go home. Thanks for
coming out."

He turned abruptly and walked off, leaving Drake to apostrophize his
eccentricity and seek consolation with Marie.

On Sunday afternoon Michael, torn between a desire to arrive before the
crowd of artists and actors who thronged the house and an unwillingness
to obtrude upon the Sabbath lethargy of half-past three o'clock, set out
with beating heart to invade Lily's home. Love made him reckless and
luck