ith the inn-keeper the heinousness of his crime in
having promised two unknown pedestrians a seat at that very select
table. The inn-keeper was full of apologies. Not having a nice
discrimination of the laws that govern the social relations of our
country, he had thought that if the strangers were English they were
entitled to sit down with the others.

"What does he say, Maddy?" said Lady Chaloner. "Ask him if he can't put
them somewhere else. Good Heavens! here they are!" she said _sotto voce_
as two people came through the trees at the bottom of the garden, and
then stopped in surprise at seeing how populous it had become. Then, as
Lady Chaloner looked at them, she suddenly realised with relief that she
knew them.

"What!" she cried, "is it you? Are you the two people who came in here
and ordered luncheon in the middle of our party?"

"I am afraid we are, do you know," said Wentworth, as he came forward.
"We didn't know how indiscreet we were being. We'll go somewhere else."

"Not at all, not at all," said Lady Chaloner. "How do you do, Mr.
Rendel? I have not seen you for a long time. Of course you must lunch
with us, so it all ends happily. Maddy, this is Mr. Francis
Rendel--Princess Hohenschreien."

Rendel bowed. He had had one moment, as they came up into the garden and
saw there were other people there, before Lady Chaloner had recognised
them, to make up his mind as to what he would do. Then he had said to
himself desperately that he would risk it. After all, he might be
exaggerating the whole thing; Wentworth did not know, and so the others
might not. Rendel had felt during the last hour one of those strange
sudden lightenings of the burden of existence that for some unexplained
reason come to our help without our knowing why. He was almost beginning
to think life would be possible again. At any rate, here, at the present
moment, he would not try to remember or realise what it was going to be,
what it must be. He would sit here on this peerless day with these
pleasant friendly people, and this one hour at any rate the sun should
shine within and without.

"That's right," said Lady Chaloner, pointing to two places some way down
the table at her left; "sit anywhere."

As Wentworth and Rendel stood opposite to the Princess and her attendant
cavalier, the door of the house, which faced them, opened, and Lady
Adela Prestige appeared in the doorway, with some more people behind
her.

"How delightful this is