how little you have," she said.

"Quite correct. But it wasn't a difficult guess."

"No. We will be cunning, Victor. I said half-past ten quite loud, didn't
I? Let us meet in the manner of conspirators at the garden-gate at a
quarter-past."

They turned towards the house again, and Jeannie detached her arm
from his.

"Remember your promise, dear," she said. "I am I, and I am yours.
Never doubt that."

All that day there was no possible cause for his doubting it. The
conspirator-plan succeeded to admiration, and Lord Lindfield and
Daisy, with a somewhat faint-intentioned Gladys, had waited in the
hall till a quarter to eleven. Then it was discovered that Jeannie
had not been seen in the house since ten, and Gladys, victorious
over her faint intentions, had stopped at home, while Daisy and
Lord Lindfield walked rapidly to church, arriving there in the
middle of the psalms.

Jeannie had been gaily apologetic afterwards. She had not heard at
breakfast that anybody except herself and Mr. Braithwaite meant to go to
church, and, coming home, she paired herself off with Daisy. At lunch
again there were, when she appeared, two vacant places, one between
Willie Carton and one of the cats, the other next Lord Lindfield. She
walked quietly round the table to take the first of these, instead of
going to the nearest chair.

For the afternoon there were several possibilities. Jeannie, appealed
to, said she would like to go up to Boulter's Lock and see the Ascot
Sunday crowd. That, it appeared, was very easy of management, as Lord
Lindfield would punt her up.

"That will be delightful," said Jeannie. "Daisy dear, I haven't simply
set eyes on you. Do let us go up together, and Lord Lindfield will punt
us. We will be the blest pair of sirens, of extraordinarily diverse age,
and he shall give the apple of discord to one of us. If he gives it you
I shall never speak to you again.--Lord Lindfield, will you take us up?"

"I shall have two apples," said he.

"Then Daisy and I will each of us want both."

This had been the last of the arrangements, and it was like Mrs.
Halton, such was the opinion of the cats, to manage things like
that. There could be no doubt that when the launch and the Noah's
Ark and the punt met below Boulter's, it would be found that Daisy
had another convenient headache.

The three vessels met there. But on the punt were Lord Lindfield and
Daisy all alone. Mrs. Halton, it seemed, had stopped at home. The