ith
Lalage took place. The room was a great convenience to us. Our proper
headquarters were, of course, in Ballygore, the principal town in the
East Connor division of Down. But a great deal of business had to be
done in Dublin and we could hardly have got on without an office.

I walked into this room a few minutes before eleven on the morning after
I had entertained Titherington in my hotel.

"The lady hasn't arrived yet," I said.

"She's gone," said Titherington. "She was here at half-past eight
o'clock."

I noticed that Titherington spoke in a subdued way and that his eyes had
a furtive expression I had never seen in them before. I felt encouraged
to give expression to the annoyance which I felt. I told Titherington
plainly that I thought he ought not to have changed the hour of the
interview without telling me. It seemed to me that he had played me
a mean trick and I resented it. Greatly to my surprise Titherington
apologized meekly.

"It wasn't my fault," he said, "and I hadn't time to communicate with
you. I only got this at twenty minutes past eight and had no more than
time to get here myself."

He handed me a telegram.

"Eleven quite impossible. Say 8.30. Jun. Soph. Ord. begins at 9.30.
Lalage Beresford."

"I was just sitting down to breakfast," said Titherington, "and I had to
get up without swallowing so much as a cup of tea and hop on to a car.
She's a tremendously prompt young woman."

"She is," I said, "and always was."

"You know her then?"

"I've known her slightly since she was quite a little girl."

"Why didn't you tell me so last night?"

"I tried to," I said, "but you kept on interrupting me, so I gave up."

Titherington's conscience may have pricked him. He was certainly in a
chastened mood, but he showed no sign of wishing to make any further
apologies. On the contrary he began to recover something of his habitual
self-assertiveness.

"If you know her," he said, "perhaps you can tell me what a Jun. Soph.
Ord. is?"

"No, I can't. She was always, even as a child, fond of using
contractions. I remember her writing to me about a 'comp.' and she
habitually used 'hols' and 'rec.' for holidays and recreation."

"It sounds to me," said Titherington, "like a police court."

"You don't mean to say that you think she's been arrested for anything?"

"I hope so."

"Why?" I asked. "Was she too much for you this morning?"

Titherington ignored the second question.

"I hope so," he s