n I won't keep you," said the smug lover of Lady Ranscomb's
choice. He was one of those over-dressed fops who haunted the lounges of
the Ritz and the Carlton, and who scraped acquaintance with anybody with
a title. At tea parties he would refer to Lord This and Lady That as
intimate friends, whereas he had only been introduced to them by some
fat wife of a fatter profiteer.

Sherrard saw that Dorise's attitude was one of hostility, but with his
superior overbearing manner he pretended not to notice it.

"You were not at Lady Oundle's the night before last," he remarked, for
want of something better to say. "I went there specially to meet you,
Dorise."

"I hate Lady Oundle's dances," was the girl's reply. "Such a lot of
fearful old fogies go there."

"True, but a lot of your mother's friends are in her set."

"I know. But mother always avoids going to her dances if she possibly
can. We had a good excuse to be away, as mother was packing."

"Elise was there," he remarked.

"And you danced with her, of course. She's such a ripping dancer."

"Twice. When I found you were not there I went on to the club," he
replied, with his usual air of boredom. "When do you expect your mother
back?"

"Next Tuesday. I'm going down to Huntingdon to-morrow to stay with the
Fishers."

"Oh! by the way," he remarked suddenly. "Tubby Hall, who is just back
from Madrid, told me in the club last night that he'd seen your friend
Henfrey in a restaurant there with a pretty French girl."

"In Madrid!" echoed Dorise, for she had no idea of her lover's
whereabouts. "He must have been mistaken surely."

"No. Tubby is an old friend of Henfrey's. He says that he and the girl
seemed to be particularly good friends."

Dorise hesitated.

"You tell me this in order to cause me annoyance!" she exclaimed.

"Not at all. I've only told you what Tubby said."

"Did your friend speak to Mr. Henfrey?"

"I think not. But I really didn't inquire," Sherrard replied, not
failing, however, to note how puzzled she was.

Lady Ranscomb was already assuring him that the girl's affection for the
absconding Henfrey would, sooner or later, fade out. More than once he
and she had held consultation concerning the proposed marriage, and more
than once Sherrard had been on the point of withdrawing from the contest
for the young girl's heart. But her mother was never tired of bidding
him be patient, and saying that in the end he would obtain his desire.

Sherr