really believe I should have stayed.

"Do you remember our morning packing?" he said, presently, in such a
caressing voice. "I was so happy; weren't you?"

I said I was.

"And Christopher was mad with us. He was like a bear with a sore head
after you left, and insisted upon going up to town on Monday, just for the
day. He came over here on Tuesday, didn't he?"

"No, he did not," I was obliged to say, and I felt cross about it still, I
don't know why.

"He is a queer creature," said Lord Robert, "and I am glad you have not
seen him. I don't want him in the way. I am a selfish brute, you know."

I said Mrs. Carruthers had always brought me up to know men were that, so
such a thing would not prejudice me against him.

He laughed. "You must help me to come and sit and talk again after
dinner," he said. "I can see the red-haired son means you for himself, but
of course I shall not allow that."

I became uppish.

"Malcolm and I are great friends," I said, demurely. "He walks me round
the golf-course in the park, and gives me advice."

"Confounded impertinence!" said Lord Robert.

"He thinks I ought not to go to Claridge's alone when I leave here, in
case some one made love to me. He feels if I looked more like his sisters
it would be safer. I have promised that Veronique shall stay at the other
side of the door if I have visitors."

"Oh, he is afraid of that, is he? Well, I think it is very probable his
fears will be realized, as I shall be in London," said Lord Robert.

"But how do you know," I began, with a questioning, serious air--"how do
you know I should listen? You can't go on to deaf people, can you?"

"Are you deaf?" he asked. "I don't think so; anyway, I would try to cure
your deafness." He bent close over to me, pretending to pick up a book.

Oh, I was having such a nice time!

All of a sudden I felt I was really living, the blood was jumping in my
veins, and a number of provoking, agreeable things came to the tip of my
tongue to say, and I said them. We were so happy.

Lord Robert is such a beautiful shape, that pleased me too; the perfect
lines of things always give me a nice emotion. The other men look thick
and clumsy beside him, and he does have such lovely clothes and ties.

We talked on and on. He began to show me he was deeply interested in me.
His eyes, so blue and expressive, said even more than his words. I like to
see him looking down; his eyelashes are absurdly long and curly, not j