shakily. "I'm not. And--and, if he asks after me,
say I'm awfully well, but I felt I wanted a walk. I'm going to take
Nobby out."

Her skirts whirled, and she was gone.

Adele flew after her, while the rest of us stood whispering in the
hall. Five minutes later the two descended together. But while we
others climbed into the cars, Jill twitched a lead from the rack and
took her stand upon the steps, with Nobby leaping for joy about her
sides. And when she cried "Good-bye," there was a ring in her tone
which sounded too glad to be true.

Mrs. Waterbrook was perfectly charming.

As we were ushered into a really beautiful salon, she rose from a
little bureau--a tall, graceful figure, with masses of pretty grey hair
and warm brown eyes.

"My dear," she said to Daphne, "what a beautiful creature you are!" She
turned to Adele. "As for you, if I were your husband, I'm afraid I
should have a swelled head. Which is he? Ah, I see by the light in
his eyes.... Of course, I ought to have called upon you, but I'm lazy
by nature, and my car won't be here till to-morrow. And now I must
thank you for being so kind to Piers. He ought to be here, of course.
But where he is, I don't know. I've hardly seen him since I arrived.
He seems to be crazy about his uncomfortable car. Went to Bordeaux and
back yesterday--three hundred miles, if you please. I feel weak when I
think of it. And now please tell me about yourselves. Beyond that
you're all delightful, I've heard nothing from him."

I would not have believed that one woman could entertain five strangers
with such outstanding success. Within five minutes Jonah and Daphne
were by her side upon the sofa, Adele was upon the hearth at their
feet. Berry was leaning against the mantelpiece, and I was sitting
upon the arm of an adjacent chair, describing our meeting with Piers a
fortnight ago.

"I don't know his age," I concluded. "I take it he's about nineteen.
But he's got the airs and graces of Peter Pan."

"Piers," said Mrs. Waterbrook, "is twenty-five. His mother was my
sister. She married his father when she was seventeen. He was twenty
years older than she, but they were awfully happy. The blood's pure
English, although the title's Italian. The fief of the duchy goes with
it. They were given to Piers' great-grandfather--he was a
diplomat--for services rendered. A recent attempt to dispossess the
boy mercifully failed." She looked round about her. "By