le gold
mine if you'll put yourself in his hands."

June's eyes sparkled; she jumped up from her chair, put her arms
around Micky's neck, and gave him a sounding kiss.

"You're a dear," she said, "and I just love you!"

Esther glanced up quickly. June need not have done that, she thought
with a touch of irritation, but Micky only laughed.

"Come here and you shall have that back with compound interest," he
said, but June shook her head.

"That's enough for to-day, and Esther's looking shocked to death."

"I'm not--I never thought about it," Esther protested indignantly.
June laughed.

"Well, you looked angry anyway," she declared. "Didn't she, Micky?"

"I'm afraid I didn't notice," he answered coolly, but he had, and for
a moment his pulses had leapt at sight of the anger in Esther's eyes;
she could not surely hate him as much as she pretended if it annoyed
her that June should kiss him.

But she was indifferent enough now at all events; she was leaning
back listlessly, her eyes fixed on the flames, her face sad and
thoughtful.

She was thinking about Ashton, Micky told himself savagely, wishing he
were here, no doubt--Ashton, who even at that moment was probably
running round Paris with Tubby Clare's little widow.

June was packing the tea things on to the tray and humming a snatch of
song. Esther rose.

"Let me do that--you cleared away yesterday."

She took the tray.

June asked Micky for a cigarette.

"I've got heaps somewhere," she said vaguely. "But I never know where
they are." She looked over to Esther. "Don't bother to put the cups
away now," she said. "Come back and be cosy."

She was rather surprised that Esther obeyed; she had quite expected
her to go off and not return.

Fond as she was of Esther, she could not quite make her out; she was
full of surprises. It was getting dusk, and the room was full of
shadows.

"Shall I light up?" Micky asked. "Or do we like the firelight?"

"We like the firelight," June said promptly; she nestled down amongst
her mauve cushions.

Micky was sitting straddle-ways across a chair between the two girls,
and Esther had drawn back a little so that her face was in shadow.
Micky glanced at her once, but could only see the glint of firelight
on her hair and her hands clasped listlessly in the lap of her frock.
He glanced at them; she still wore Ashton's ring, with its three
inferior stones; he wondered how long the farce was going to be kept
up and what