"And in what way does his ambition express itself?"

"Parliament."

Signor Ricordo laughed.

"You seem amused, signore. You are more merry than usual to-night. You
like Mr. Briarfield. Do you not think he would be a good husband to our
guardian angel?"

"I will tell you after Friday night."

"Why then?"

"Because I shall then have seen the lady of whom you have told me such
wondrous things. I mean to be introduced to her, to talk with her. Ah!"

Herr Truebner looked towards his companion as he heard his exclamation.
For once he saw that Signor Ricordo's eyes were wide open, and that a
look which he never saw before rested on his face. But only for a
moment. His eyes soon became half-closed again, and the air of cynical
melancholy came back to him.

"We have some more visitors, I see," he said, nodding towards two men
who had just entered the room.

The German turned, and saw two strangers take their seats.

"Got any cigars on you, Purvis?" he heard one say. "I left mine in
another pocket, and I don't suppose we can get anything here fit to
smoke."

In reply, the other pulled his case from his pocket, and the two talked
in low tones together.

"Yes, Herr Truebner," said Signore Ricordo, "I look forward towards an
interesting evening on Friday."

CHAPTER XXI

A GAME OF GOLF--A GAME OF LIFE

"I wish I hadn't come here, Purvis."

"Why not?"

"Well, you know how I feel."

Purvis shrugged his shoulders.

"Your mistake can easily be remedied, Sprague. You have only to take the
train from Vale Linden station, and then you can go to Ilfracombe or
Westward Ho! or, for that matter, return to London."

"Yes, I know; and I know, too, that it was through me you came down
here. All the same, I feel jolly mean. Do you know, although that letter
meant the smashing up of the engagement, and thus saving her life from
ruin, she has never acknowledged it, and, for that matter, has never
spoken to me since. Not that I expected gratitude, at least for a time,
but after six years----"

"You know we both left England for a long sojourn abroad, directly we
knew that the bubble had burst."

"Yes, I know; still, I did think that out of pure gratitude she might
have----"

"She's not that sort, Sprague. Follow my example, and think no more
about her. Hang it, we are not children; and she's not the only woman in
the world. She gave us both our _conge_; let us take it graciously, and
enjoy our golf."

"I wish