Roger which told her plainly how her value
had risen by reason of competition. In so many ways was he a mere
male--but she did not like him the less for that.

Roger, dancing with Marjory, whom he had known all his life, watched
the slender figure in fluttering pink whenever it crossed his line of
vision. The curly head had an upward tilt at times, for Graham was
over six feet tall, and she had to look up to speak to him.

"You know, Roger, Graham's fearfully taken with that girl of yours,"
Marjory told him calmly. "He gave me no peace until I brought him
over. Who is she? You don't mean it? A nurse! Well, who'd have
thought anyone so useful could look like that? I call it genius."

"Nurses needn't be frights," he objected.

"But most of them are.... By the way, I saw Lady Clifford here last
night, marvellous as usual. She was with a rather nice-looking
Englishman I've seen about Cannes a good deal--no one I know."

"Yes, he is here this evening, or was. I saw him having dinner."

"So did I, with a comic-looking foreign woman, simply lousy with
jewels. She's always about here. I used to wonder who in the world
had money enough to buy those enormous diamonds and ropes of pearls you
see in the shops in the Rue de la Paix. Now I know."

The dance went on and on; for the first time he noticed how frequently
the orchestra responded to an encore.

"Do look at Graham," whispered his partner delightedly. "Isn't it
amazing when you think how timid he is?"

The tall youth was not losing any time. In a brief interval Roger
overheard him saying something very earnest to his partner on the
subject of Saturday afternoon, evidently making a desperate bid for
Esther's free hour. She in turn was shaking her head doubtfully, but,
thought Roger, she did not look displeased. The idea came to Roger
that young Kent, who was sole heir to one of the biggest mill-owners in
Lancashire, would be counted a fine prize.... He looked at his watch.

"That little girl has to get up early," he murmured to Marjory. "I
promised faithfully not to keep her out late. If this goes on much
longer..."

It was a little after one o'clock when he tucked Esther into the
Citroen. He drove slowly towards La Californie, reluctant to put an
end to the evening, and intensely conscious of the girl beside him,
wrapped in her velvet coat, warm and glowing in the darkness.

"I'm sure we ought to have left sooner," she said, a little
co