e her husband had once been at
the Embassy in Vienna, had assumed a slight foreign accent; it was meant
to be Austrian but sounded Scotch. Lady Gertrude looked rather muffled
and seemed to have more thick veils and feather boas on than was
necessary for the time of the year. She was an old friend of Lady
Kellynch's, and they detested each other, but never missed an
opportunity of meeting, chiefly in order to impress each other, in one
way or another, or cause each other envy or annoyance.

Lady Kellynch was always very specially careful whom she asked, or
allowed, to meet Lady Gertrude. She had wanted Bertha particularly
to-day and was vexed at this unexpected arrival.

"Your daughter-in-law, my dear?" asked Lady Gertrude, in a surprised
tone, putting up her long tortoiseshell glass.

"Oh _dear_, no, Gertrude! Surely you know Bertha by sight! I never had
the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Pickering before."

"Charmed to meet you," said Mrs. Pickering again, giving a kind of
curtsy and smiling at Lady Gertrude. "Ah, there's my little friend!
Well, Cliff, didn't we have fun the other day? Eustace was sorry he
couldn't come to-day. We had the greatest larks, Lady Kellynch! I play
with the kids just like one of themselves. We've got a great big room
fixed up on purpose for Cissie and Eustace to romp. We haven't been
there very long yet, Lady Kellynch. You know that big corner house in
Hamilton Place leading into Park Lane. My husband thinks there's nothing
good enough for the children. If it comes to that, he thinks there's
nothing good enough for me." She giggled. "He gave me this emerald
brooch only this morning. 'Oh, Tom,' I said, 'what a silly you are. You
don't want to make a fuss about birthdays now we're getting on.' But he
is silly about me! It's a nice little thing, isn't it?" she said,
showing it to Lady Gertrude, who put up her glass to examine it.

"Lady Gertrude Muenster--Mrs. Pickering," said Lady Kellynch. "Some tea?"

"Thanks, no tea. It's a pretty little thing, isn't it, Lady Muenster?"

"Rather nice. Are they real?" asked Lady Gertrude.

Mrs. Pickering laughed very loudly. "You're getting at me. I shouldn't
be so pleased with it if it came out of a cracker! But what I always say
about presents, Lady Kellynch, is, it isn't so much the kind thought,
it's the value of the gift I look at. No, I meant----"

"What you said, I suppose," said Lady Gertrude, who was rather enjoying
herself, as she saw her hostes