ngst your friends."

She sighed.

"Why do one's friends bore one so much more than other people's?" she
exclaimed.

"When one thinks of it," he remarked, "you must have been very bored
here. Why, for the last fortnight there have been no other visitors in
the house."

"There have been compensations," she said.

"Tell me about them!" he begged.

She laughed up at him.

"If I were to say the occasional visits of Mr. Kingston Brooks, would
you be conceited?"

"It would be like putting my vanity in a hothouse," he answered, "but I
would try and bear it."

"Well, I will say it, then!"

He turned and looked at her with a sudden seriousness. Some
consciousness of the change in his mood seemed to be at once
communicated to her. Her eyes no longer met his. She moved a little on
one side and took up an ornament from an ormolu table.

"I wish that you meant it," he murmured.

"I do!" she whispered, almost under her breath.

Brooks suddenly forgot many things, but Nemesis intervened. There was
the sound of much rustling of silken skirts, and--Lady Caroom's poodle,
followed by herself, came round the angle of the drawing-room.

"My dear Sybil," she exclaimed, "do come and tie Balfour's ribbon for
me. Marie has no idea of making a bow spread itself out, and pink is
so becoming to him. Thanks, dear. Where is our host? I thought that I
was late."

Lord Arranmore entered as she spoke. His evening dress, as usual, was
of the most severely simple type. To-night its sombreness was
impressive. With such a background his pallor seemed almost waxen-like.
He offered his arm to Lady Caroom.

"I was not sure," he said, with a lightness which seemed natural enough,
"whether to-night I might not have to dine alone whilst you poor people
sat and played havoc with the shreds of my reputation. Groves, the
cabinet Johannesburg and the '84 Heidsieck--though I am afraid," he
added, looking down at his companion, "that not all the wine in my
cellar could make this feast of farewells a cheerful one."

"Farewell celebrations of all sorts are such a mistake," Lady Caroom
murmured. "We have been so happy here too."

"You brought the happiness with you," Lord Arranmore said, "and you take
it away with you. Enton will be a very dull place when you are gone.

"Your own stay here is nearly up, is it not?" Lady Caroom asked. "Very
nearly. I expect to go to Paris next week--at latest the week after, in
time at any rate for Bernhardt's new