ike her."

"I'm not going to wait until I know her," said Patricia.

"Bravo!" cried Lady Peggy, clapping her hands. "That's a snub for you,
Goddy," she said, then turning again to Patricia, "I know we're going
to be friends, and you can afford to be generous to a defeated rival."

"I must warn you against Lady Peggy," said Elton quietly. "She's a
most dangerous young woman."

"And now, Patricia," said Lady Peggy, "I'm going to call you Patricia,
and you must call me Peggy. I want you to do me a very great favour."

Patricia looked at the girl, rather bewildered and breathless by the
precipitancy with which she made friends. "I'm sure I will if I
possibly can," she replied.

"I want you to come and lunch with us," said Lady Peggy.

"It's very kind of you, I shall be delighted some day," replied
Patricia conventionally.

"No, now!" said Lady Peggy. "This very day that ever is. I want you
to meet Daddy. He's such a dear. Goddy will come, so you won't be
lonely," she added.

"I'm afraid I've got----" began Patricia.

"Please don't be afraid you've got anything," pleaded Lady Peggy. "If
you've got an engagement throw it over. Everybody throws over
engagements for me."

"But----" began Patricia.

"Oh, please don't be tiresome," said Lady Peggy, screwing up her
eyebrows. "I shall have all I can do to persuade Goddy to come, and
it's so exhausting."

"I will come with pleasure," said Elton, "if only to protect Miss Brent
from your overwhelming friendliness."

"Oh, you odious creature!" cried Lady Peggy, then turning to Patricia
she added with mock tragedy in her voice, "Oh! the love I've languished
on that man, the gladness of the eyes I have turned upon him, the
pressures of the hand I've been willing to bestow on him, and this is
how he treats me." Then with a sudden change she added, "But you will
come, won't you? I do so want you to meet Daddy."

"If the truth must be told," said Elton, "Peggy merely wants to be able
to exploit you, as everybody is wanting to know about you and what you
are like. Now she will be a celebrity, and able to describe you in
detail to all her many men friends and to her women enemies."

Lady Peggy deliberately turned her back upon Elton.

"Now we are going to have another little walk and then we'll go and get
our nosebags on," she announced. "No, you're not going to walk between
us"--this to Elton--"I want to be next to Patricia," she announced.

Patricia fel