'drop' it. What you
say goes, Miss Lovelace."

"Does it, indeed!" I retorted. "Nothing of the kind. It did once,
perhaps. But this evening--do you know what? Miss Million has gone out
in a frock that I positively forbade her to buy. A cerise horror that's
not only 'undesirable,' as you call it, but makes her look----"

"Oh, a frock! Why is it a woman can never keep to the point?" demanded
this young Mr. Brace. "What's it got to do with the matter in hand what
frock Miss Million chooses to go out in?"

"Why, everything! Doesn't it just show what's happening," I explained
patiently. "It means that Miss Million doesn't make an oracle of me any
more. She'd rather model herself on some of the people she's going to
supper with tonight. Miss Vi Vassity, say----"

"What! That awful woman on the halls?" broke in Mr. Brace, with as much
disapproval in his voice and tone as there could have been in my Aunt
Anastasia's if she had been told that any girl she knew was hobnobbing
with "London's Love," the music-hall artiste.

"Who introduced her to Miss Million, may I ask?" he went on. "No, I
needn't ask; I can guess. That's this man Burke. That's his crowd.
Music-hall women, German Jews, disreputable racing men, young gilded
idiots like the man in the cavalry who sent him to me."

Then (furiously): "That's the set of people he'll bring in to associate
with you two inexperienced girls," said Mr. Brace.

And now his face was very angry--quite pale with temper. He looked
rather fine, I thought. He might have posed for a picture of one of
Cromwell's young Ironsides, straight-lipped, uncompromisingly sincere,
and "square," and shocked at everything.

I simply couldn't help rather enjoying the mild excitement of seeing him
so wrathful.

Surely he must be really _epris_ with Million to be so roused over her
knowing a few unconventional people. I've read somewhere that the
typical young Englishman may be considered to be truly in love as soon
as he begins to resent some girl's other amusements.

Mr. Brace went on: "And where has he taken Miss Million to this evening,
may I ask?"

I moved to put the cushions straight on the couch as I gave him the
evening's programme. "They were dining at the Carlton with a party, I
think. Then they were going on to see Miss Vi Vassity's turn at the
Palace. Then they were all to have supper at a place called the Thousand
and One----"

"Where?" put in Mr. Brace, in a voice so horrified that it