eriencing great difficulty in reading them. Added to this was the
fact that she could not keep her thoughts from straying to Aunt
Adelaide. What would happen that afternoon? What was Bowen going to
do to save the situation? He had promised to see her through; but how
was he going to do it?

CHAPTER IX

LADY TANAGRA TAKES A HAND

At a quarter to five Patricia left the library to go upstairs to put on
her hat and coat. In the hall she encountered Mrs. Bonsor.

"Finished?" interrogated that lady in a tone of voice that implied she
was perfectly well aware of the fact that it wanted still a quarter of
an hour to the time at which Patricia was supposed to be free.

"No; there is still some left; but I'm going home," said Patricia.
There was something in her voice and appearance that prompted Mrs.
Bonsor to smile her artificial smile and remark that she thought
Patricia was quite right, the weather being very trying.

When she left the Bonsors' house, Patricia was too occupied with her
own thoughts to notice the large grey car standing a few yards up the
square with a girl at the steering-wheel. Patricia turned in the
opposite direction from that in which the car stood, making her way
towards Sloane Street to get her bus. She had not gone many steps when
the big car slid silently up beside her, and she heard a voice say,
"Can't I give you a lift to Galvin House?"

She turned round and saw a fair-haired girl smiling at her from the car.

"I--I----"

"Jump in, won't you?" said the girl.

"But--but I think you've made a mistake."

"You're Patricia Brent, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Patricia, smiling, "that's my name."

"Well then, jump in and I'll run you up to Galvin House. Don't delay
or you'll be too late for your aunt."

Patricia looked at the girl in mute astonishment, but proceeded to get
into the car, there seemed nothing else to be done. As she did so, the
fair-haired girl laughed brightly. "It's awfully mean of me to take
such an advantage, but I couldn't resist it. I'm Peter's sister,
Tanagra."

"Oh!" said Patricia, light dawning upon her and turning to Tanagra with
a smile, "Then you're the solution?"

"Yes," said Lady Tanagra, "I'm going to see you two out of the mess
you've somehow or other got into."

Suddenly Patricia stiffened. "Did he--did he--er--tell you?"

"Not he," said Lady Tanagra, shoving on the brake suddenly to avoid a
crawling taxi that had swung round without any