s wanting. He did
not answer Lady Angela. He did not glance towards her.

"You cur!" he cried. "Twice in a day am I to be brought face to face
with your cursed treachery? Twice in a day! Lady Angela, may I beg
that you will leave us?"

She stood up and faced him, slim and white-faced, yet with her head
thrown back and her voice steady.

"Mostyn," she said, "this is my fault. I do not ask for your
forgiveness. I have behaved shamefully, but I was miserable, and I
forgot. Mr. Ducaine is blameless. It was my fault."

"You will pardon the keenness of my observation," he answered, "but the
attitude in which I was unfortunate enough to find you tells its own
story. You will oblige me, Lady Angela, by leaving us alone."

I would have spoken, but she held out her hand.

"I think you forget, Colonel Ray," she said, "that this is my house. I
am not disposed to leave you and Mr. Ducaine here together in your
present mood."

He laughed harshly.

"Are you afraid for your lover?" he asked. "I promise you that I will
hold his person sacred."

"Lady Angela," I begged. "Please leave us. I--"

Then came an interruption so unexpected and yet so natural that the
whole scene seemed at once to dissolve into bathos. The door was thrown
open, and a footman ushered in callers.

"Lady Chelsford and the Marchioness of Cardenne, your ladyship," he
announced. "Mrs. and the Misses Colquhoun. Sir George Treherne!"

It was a transformation. The room, with its dull note of tragedy, was
suddenly filled with faint perfumes, shaken from the rustling draperies
of half a dozen women, a little chorus of light voices started the babel
of small-talk, Lady Angela had taken her place behind the large round
tea-table and was talking nonsense with the tall young guardsman who had
drawn his chair up to her side, and I, with a plate of sandwiches in my
hand, nearly ran into Ray, who was carrying a cup of tea. For a quarter
of an hour or so we played our parts in the comedy. Then a servant
entered the room and whispered in my ear.

"His Grace would be glad to see you in the library, sir."

I rose at once. Angela's eyes were fixed upon mine questioningly. As I
passed the table I spoke to her, and purposely raised my voice so that
Ray should hear.

"Your father has sent for me, Lady Angela. He is terribly industrious
to-day."

She smiled back to me quietly. I lingered in the hall for a minute,
and Ray joined me there. He did not speak a word, but h