fighting against the
attraction she had for him, prepared to contest every inch of
ground--discounting each look and word wrung from him in some moment of
emotion by the mocking raillery with which he followed it up.

More than once he had hinted at some barrier, spoken of a shadow that
dogged his steps, as if complete freedom of action were denied him.
Could it be--was it conceivable, that he was already married? And at the
thought Diana hid hot cheeks against her pillow, living over again that
moment in the car--that moment which had suddenly called into being
emotions before whose overmastering possibilities she trembled.

At length, mentally and physically weary, she dropped into an uneasy
slumber, vaguely wondering what the morrow would bring forth.

It brought the unexpected news that the occupants of Red Gables had
suddenly left for London by the morning train.

CHAPTER VIII

MRS. LAWRENCE'S HOSPITALITY

"_An Officer's Widow offers hospitality to students and professional
women. Excellent cuisine; man-servant; moderate terms. Apply: Mrs. L.,
24 Brutton Square, N.W._"

So ran the advertisement which Mrs. Lawrence periodically inserted in one
of the leading London dailies. She was well-pleased with the wording of
it, considering that it combined both veracity and attractiveness--two
things which do not invariably run smoothly in conjunction with each
other.

The opening phrase had reference to the fact that her husband, the
defunct major, had been an army doctor, and the word hospitality
pleasantly suggested the idea of a home from home, whilst the
afterthought conveyed by the moderate terms delicately indicated that the
hospitality was not entirely of a gratuitous nature. The man-servant, on
closer inspection, resolved himself into a French-Swiss waiter, whose
agility and condition were such that he could negotiate the whole ninety
stairs of the house, three at a time, without once pausing for breath
till he reached the top.

Little Miss Bunting, the lady-help, who lived with Mrs. Lawrence on the
understanding that she gave "assistance in light household duties in
return for hospitality," was not quite so nimble as Henri, the waiter,
and often found her heart beating quite uncomfortably fast by the time
she had climbed the ninety stairs to the little cupboard of a room which
Mrs. Lawrence's conception of hospitality allotted for her use. She did
the work of two servants and ate rather less t