to notice.

Lisa was looking worse when we went back to her at the hotel, but Aunt
Lil didn't notice that either. She is always nice to Lisa, but she
doesn't like her, and it is only when you really care for people that
you observe changes in them when you are busy thinking of your own
affairs.

I advised Lisa to rest in her own room, instead of shopping, as she
would have the long motor run later in the day, and a night journey; but
she was dressed and seemed to want to go out. She had things to do, she
said, and though she didn't buy anything when she was with us, while we
were at a milliner's in the Rue de la Paix choosing hats for Aunt Lil,
she disappeared on some errand of her own, and only came back just as we
were ready to leave the shop. Whatever it was that she had been doing,
it had interested her and waked her out of herself, for her eyes looked
brighter and she had spots of colour on her cheeks.

Aunt Lil found so much to do, and was sure we could easily carry so many
things in the motor-car, that it was a rush to meet Uncle Eric and Lord
Bob at the Ritz, by two o'clock. But we did manage it, or nearly. We
were not more than ten minutes late, which was wonderful for Aunt Lil:
and the short time that we'd kept them waiting wasn't enough to account
for the solemnity of the two men's faces as they came forward to meet
us.

"Something's gone wrong about the car!" exclaimed Aunt Lil.

"No, the car's all right," said Lord Bob. "I've got you a chauffeur too,
and--"

"Then what has happened? You both look like thunder-clouds, or wet
blankets, or something disagreeable. It surely can't be because you're
hungry that you're cross about a few minutes."

"Have you seen a newspaper to-day?" asked Uncle Eric.

"A newspaper? I should think not, indeed; we've had too many important
things to do to waste time on trifles. Why, has the Government gone
out?"

"Ivor Dundas has got into a mess here," Uncle Eric answered, looking
very much worried--so much worried that I thought he must care even more
about Ivor than I had fancied.

"Of course it's the most awful rot," said Lord Bob, "but he's accused of
murder."

"It's in the evening papers: not a word had got into the morning ones,"
Uncle Eric went on. "We've only just seen the news since we came here to
wait for you; otherwise I should have tried to do something for him. As
it is, of course I must, as a friend of his, stop in Paris and do what I
can to help him t