my taste. They were so much at home that I, fearing to
intrude, left rather early."

"I believe the skirt-dancing frightened you away, Sir John," said
Millicent merrily.

"Even old birds, my dear young lady, may sometimes be alarmed by a
scarecrow."

"I missed you quite early in the evening," put in Lady Cantourne,
sternly refusing to laugh. She had not had an opportunity of seeing him
since her conversation with Jocelyn, and the dangers of the situation
were fully appreciated by such an experienced woman of the world.

"They began to clear the upper end of the room," he explained, "and I
assisted them in the most practical manner in my power."

He was beginning to wonder why he had been invited--nay, almost
commanded--to come, by an imperious little note. And of late, whenever
Sir John began to wonder he began also to feel old. His fingers strayed
towards his unsteady lips as if he were about to make one of those
little movements of senile helplessness to which he sometimes gave way.

For a moment Lady Cantourne hesitated between two strokes of social
diplomacy--but only for a moment. She had heard the bell ring, and
trusted that at the other end of the wire there might be one of those
fatuous young men who nibbled at that wire like foolish fish round a
gilt spoon-bait. Her ladyship decided to carry on the social farce a
few minutes longer, instead of offering the explanation which all were
awaiting.

"We women," she said, "were not so easily deterred from our social
duties."

At this moment the door opened, and there entered a complex odour of
hairwash and perfumery--a collar which must have been nearly related to
a cuff, and a pair of tight patent-leather boots, all attached to and
somewhat overpowering a young man.

"Ah, my dear Mr. Grubb," said Lady Cantourne, "how good of you to call
so soon! You will have some tea. Millicent, give Mr. Grubb some tea."

"Not too strong," added Sir John, apparently to himself, under the cover
of Mr. Grubb's somewhat scrappy greeting.

Then Lady Cantourne went to the conservatory and left Sir John and
Jocelyn at the end of the long room together. There is nothing like a
woman's instinct. Jocelyn spoke at once.

"Lady Cantourne," she said, "kindly asked me to meet you to-day on
purpose. I live at Loango; I know your son, Mr. Meredith, and we thought
you might like to hear about him and about Loango."

She knew that with a man like Sir John any indirect approach to th