d. 'How is Lady Kelsey?'

'She's much better, thanks. We've been to Spa, you know, for her
health.'

Julia's heart beat quickly. She was much excited at this meeting; and it
seemed to her strangely romantic, a sign of the civilisation of the
times, that these two people with raging passions afire in their hearts,
should exchange the commonplaces of polite society, Alec, having
recovered from his momentary confusion was extremely urbane.

'Somebody told me you'd gone abroad,' he said. 'Was it you, Dick? Dick
is an admirable person, a sort of gazetteer for the world of fashion.'

Dick fussily brought forward a chair for Lucy to sit in, and offered to
disembarrass her of the jacket she was wearing.

'You must make my excuses for not leaving a card on Lady Kelsey before
going away,' said Alec. 'I've been excessively busy.'

'It doesn't matter at all,' Lucy answered.

Julia glanced at him. She saw that he was determined to keep the
conversation on the indifferent level which it might have occupied if
Lucy had been nothing more than an acquaintance. There was a bantering
tone in his voice which was an effective barrier to all feeling. For a
moment she was nonplussed.

'London is an excellent place for showing one of how little importance
one is in the world. One makes a certain figure, and perhaps is tempted
to think oneself of some consequence. Then one goes away, and on
returning is surprised to discover that nobody has ever noticed one's
absence.'

Lucy smiled faintly. Dick, recovering his good-humour, came at once to
the rescue.

'You're overmodest, Alec. If you weren't, you might be a great man. Now,
I make a point of telling my friends that I'm indispensable, and they
take me at my word.'

'You are a leaven of flippancy in the heavy dough of British
righteousness,' smiled Alec.

'It is true that the wise man only takes the unimportant quite
seriously.'

'For it is obvious that one needs more brains to do nothing with
elegance than to be a cabinet minister,' said Alec.

'You pay me a great compliment, Alec,' cried Dick. 'You repeat to my
very face one of my favourite observations.'

Julia looked at him steadily.

'Haven't I heard you say that only the impossible is worth doing?'

'Good heavens,' he cried. 'I must have been quoting the headings of a
copy-book.'

Lucy felt that she must say something. She had been watching Alec, and
her heart was nearly breaking. She turned to Dick.

'Are you goin