Will you come and have tea at the Sub Rosa?" Denry next asked.

"The Sub Rosa?" questioned the Countess.

"Well," said Denry, "that's what we call the new tea-room that's just
been opened round here." He indicated a direction. "It's quite a novelty
in the Five Towns."

The Countess had a passion for tea.

"They have splendid China tea," said Denry.

"Well," said the Countess, "I suppose I may as well go through with it."

At the moment her brougham drove up. She instructed her coachman to wait
next to the mule and victoria. Her demeanour had cast off all its
similarity to her dress: it appeared to imply that, as she had begun
with a mad escapade, she ought to finish with another one.

Thus the Countess and Denry went to the tea-shop, and Denry ordered tea
and paid for it. There was scarcely a customer in the place, and the few
who were fortunate enough to be present had not the wit to recognise the
Countess. The proprietress did not recognise the Countess. (Later, when
it became known that the Countess had actually patronised the Sub Rosa,
half the ladies of Hanbridge were almost ill from sheer disgust that
they had not heard of it in time. It would have been so easy for them to
be there, taking tea at the next table to the Countess, and observing
her choice of cakes, and her manner of holding a spoon, and whether she
removed her gloves or retained them in the case of a meringue. It was an
opportunity lost that would in all human probability never occur again.)

And in the discreet corner which she had selected the Countess fired a
sudden shot at Denry.

"How did you get all those details about the state rooms at Sneyd?" she
asked.

Upon which opening the conversation became lively.

The same evening Denry called at the _Signal_ office and gave an
order for a half-page advertisement of the Five Towns Universal Thrift
Club--"Patroness, the Countess of Chell." The advertisement informed
the public that the club had now made arrangements to accept new
members. Besides the order for a half-page advertisement, Denry also
gave many interesting and authentic details about the historic drive
from Sneyd Vale to Hanbridge. The next day the _Signal_ was simply
full of Denry and the Countess. It had a large photograph, taken by a
photographer on Cauldon Bank, which showed Denry actually driving the
Countess, and the Countess's face was full in the picture. It presented,
too, an excellently appreciative account of Denry'