and elfish as usual, tripped
out into the garden to whisper to him that her mother wished her to
drive with her to Ashbury at once.

"To Ashbury--you--at once--with the Warrior?" he ejaculated. "Whatever
for?"

"I don't know," said Leonetta.

"But it's impossible," he objected. "Can't you say you can't go?"

"I wish I could."

"But why should the old Warrior want to take precisely you to Ashbury?"
he pursued.

"I only know," she replied, "that Lord Henry's Sanatorium is at Ashbury,
and that Peachy's making far too much of Cleo's illness. Why, it's only
the heat."

"How many miles is it to Ashbury?"

"Seventeen to twenty, I believe."

"So you'll be gone about two hours?"

"Yes, my darling,--cheer up."

He smiled at these words, pressed her hand tenderly as he did so, and
heard the car glide round the drive.

"Good-bye, my goddess," he whispered.

Then suddenly Mrs. Delarayne's head appeared at one of the bedroom
windows of the house.

"Come in and get ready at once, Leonetta!" she called out angrily. "The
car has just arrived."

"Good-bye, my angel," she whispered, and ran in.

It was eleven o'clock; they could be back for lunch. The Fearwells,
Vanessa, and Guy Tyrrell had gone to Stonechurch for a bathe. The whole
place was a desert. He thought he might go for a walk, and entered the
house to fetch his hat and stick. But he hesitated; he felt so desolate
alone. The sound, however, of another car in the drive outside, and Sir
Joseph's voice giving instructions to the chauffeur, brought him quickly
to his senses, and snatching his hat down, he ran out of the house,
through the garden, and out into the meadows beyond.

It was a glorious day. He had no wish to try to account for his
reluctance to meet his chief alone at that moment, and as he swung his
stick and whistled on his walk, he tried to convince himself that he
could afford to snap his fingers at the powerful City magnate.

* * * * *

Meanwhile Mrs. Delarayne and Leonetta were racing along as swiftly as
Sir Joseph's head chauffeur dared to go. The road and the hedges on
either side seemed to be simply a green-edged ribbon which the bonnet
of the car cut into two gigantic streamers that flew for miles and miles
behind them. Villages were skirted as far as possible, and appeared to
be packed hurriedly away like so much stage scenery. Narrow bridges and
awkward turnings were negotiated at top speed, and seemed t