d in that tea-room.

"Ow! S-Smith! Come in, have you?" she exclaimed, giggling nervously.
Then, turning to the music-hall artiste, she explained: "This is my
lady's-maid!"

"And very nice, too!" said Miss Vi Vassity promptly, with one of those
black-eyed glances that seemed to swing round from me to Million, thence
to the cobra-woman, the other girls, the stout young Jew, all of whom
were staring hard at me.

She ended up in a lightning-quick wink and a quick turn to the long
glass that stood beside her teacup which, I suppose, had contained what
those people the other day called a rattlesnake cocktail.

"I didn't send for you, Smith, but never mind since you're here," my
young mistress said, almost clinging to me in her nervousness. "You can
pop upstairs and begin to put out my evening things, as usual----"

"Extra smart to-night, Smith, extra smart; she's comin' on to a box at
the Palace to see little Me in my great Dazzling act," put in the
actress. "Got to be very dressy for that, old dear. Gala night at the
Opera isn't in it.

"The black pearl rope you'll wear, of course. And your diamond fender to
wave your hand to me in, please!"

"Ow!" breathed the dismayed heiress. "Well, I--I don't know as how I'd
expected----"

She hasn't acquired any ornaments at all as yet. And, somehow, I knew
that this black-eyed, bright-haired actress knew that perfectly well.
For some reason she was pulling poor Million's leg just as mercilessly
as her precious friend the Honourable Jim----

Even as I was thinking this there strolled up the room to our group the
cool, detached, and prosperous-looking figure of the Honourable Jim
himself--the man who had just got out of my taxi at Charing Cross.

Miss Vi jingled her gold mesh vanity-bag at him with its hanging cluster
of gold charms, gold pencil, gold cigarette-case.

"Hi, Sunny Jim! You that know everything about 'what's worn, and
where,'" she cried. "I'm just telling your friend Miss Million that
nobody'd call on her again unless she puts on all the family diamonds
for our little supper after the show to-night!"

Miss Million looked anguished. She really believed that she was going to
be "let down" before her much-admired Mr. Burke (scamp!) before the
cobra-lady and the other theatrical lights.

I knew how she felt!

She would be covered with disgrace, she would be "laughed at behind her
back" because she was a millionairess--without any diamonds.... They'd
think sh