ully, though without understanding.

"Oh, yes," she replied.

Freddie seemed grateful. With a cordial "Cheerio!" he led Nelly off to
the grill-room.

"I didn't know Jill knew Mr. Mason," said Nelly, as they sat down at
their table.

"No?" said Freddie absently, running an experienced eye over the bill
of fare. He gave an elaborate order. "What was that? Oh, absolutely!
Jill and I and Wally were children together."

"How funny you should all be together again like this."

"Yes. Oh, good Lord!"

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing. I meant to send a cable to a pal of mine in England,
I'll send it after lunch."

Freddie took out his handkerchief, and tied a knot in it. He was
slightly ashamed of the necessity of taking such a precaution, but it
was better to be on the safe side. His interview with Jill at the
theatre had left him with the conviction that there was only one thing
for him to do, and that was to cable poor old Derek to forget
impending elections and all the rest of it and pop over to America at
once. He knew that he would never have the courage to re-open the
matter with Jill himself. As an ambassador he was a spent force. If
Jill was to be wooed from her mood of intractibility, Derek was the
only man to do it. Freddie was convinced that, seeing him in person,
she would melt and fall into his arms. Too dashed absurd, Freddie
felt, two loving hearts being separated like this and all that sort
of thing. He replaced his handkerchief in his pocket, relieved, and
concentrated himself on the entertainment of Nelly. A simple task for
the longer he was with this girl, the easier did it seem, to talk to
her.

Jill, left alone in the lobby, was finding the moments pass quite
pleasantly. She liked watching the people as they came in. One or two
of the girls of the company fluttered in like birds, were swooped upon
by their cavaliers, and fluttered off to the grill-room. The
red-headed Babe passed her with a genial nod, and, shortly after, Lois
Denham, the willowy recipient of sunbursts from her friend Izzy of the
hat-checks, came by in company with a sallow, hawk-faced young man
with a furtive eye, whom Jill took--correctly--to be Izzy himself.
Lois was looking pale and proud, and, from the few words which came to
Jill's ears as they neared her, seemed to be annoyed at having been
kept waiting.

It was immediately after this that the swing-doors revolved rather
more violently than usual, and Mr. Goble bu