managh. "Probably someone, or something,
had upset her before you called, and you had to suffer for it."

"It wasn't only I who had to suffer," remarked Tony. "Poor old Carlos
was there when I blew in, and Myra was snubbing him unmercifully.
Between ourselves, Lady Fermanagh, Myra was positively insulting. Don
Carlos took it rather well, but I fancy he was upset all the same."

"H'm! So Don Carlos is back?" commented her ladyship, with an
inscrutable smile. "That may explain matters. Perhaps it was he who
was responsible for Myra's tantrums. But don't worry, Tony. Myra will
probably be particularly nice to you if you see her to-night."

"I'm not exactly worried, Lady Fermanagh, but I'm very puzzled," said
Standish. "I don't suppose Don Carlos had anything to do with the
matter, really, although he did say chaffingly that he had been making
love to Myra again and said she was afraid of him. But after he had
gone Myra seemed uncommonly annoyed with me for some reason or other,
and--er--well, a fellow doesn't know exactly what to do in the
circumstances, and I thought you'd be able to give me advice."

"My advice to you, Tony, is to make ardent love to Myra, to woo her as
if she had not already promised to marry you," Lady Fermanagh
responded. "It is just possible, my dear Tony, if you will forgive my
suggesting it, that you have not been playing the part of devoted lover
wholeheartedly enough."

"Perhaps so," said Tony, rather ruefully. "Er--the difficulty is that
when I try to talk and make love like the chaps do in novels and plays,
Myra laughs at me and tells me not to be sloppy. I say, Lady
Fermanagh, don't tell Myra I've been talking to you about her. She
might be angry. But if you can size things up and give me a hint later
as to why she was vexed with me this afternoon I'll be tremendously
obliged."

Lady Fermanagh had a very shrewd idea that she could have told him
there and then who was the cause of the trouble, remembering well
Myra's boast that she would make Don Carlos fall in love with her, and
her resentment at his lack of courtesy in going off to Spain without a
word of farewell.

"Yes, Tony, I'll do my best to 'size things up,' as you so gracefully
put it, and may be able to drop you a hint later," she said.

She did some hard thinking as she drove home, where she arrived to find
Myra seated listlessly in an armchair by the fire, an unlighted
cigarette between her fingers, and a bro