ouse to
me when we were motoring one day."

"Yes, nearly eight miles off--in the next village, in fact. But as you
have a motor I hope you'll come over and see me pretty often." She gave
the invitation with a pleasant note of sincerity. "Just at present my
niece is taking pity on me, but I am very lonely sometimes."

"I will come, certainly," said Toni, feeling curiously at ease with this
charming, elderly woman who, in spite of her aristocratic bearing, was
so delightfully kindly. "I haven't returned any calls yet--but my
husband tells me I must really start next week."

"Do--and come to tea with me first of all." Mrs. Anstey spoke quite
unconsciously, but something in her words aroused Toni to a sense of her
own deficiencies as hostess.

Tea--of course! Owen had told her that it was imperative to offer tea to
afternoon visitors; and these people had motored eight miles over a
dusty road--they must be hot and thirsty and longing for tea.

Yet--suddenly Toni felt it would be impossible to ask her guests to
participate in the feast which she had spread for Fanny. The delicacies
which had been prepared for her cousin took on a very uncouth
appearance, and from the bottom of her heart Toni wished she had kept to
the usual _regime_ of dainty sandwiches and cakes.

Yet she must offer tea--and quickly, before her visitors had time to
doubt her hospitable intentions. She was so lost in thought that she let
Mrs. Anstey's remark go unanswered; and Barry, looking at her, wondered
what had made her suddenly colour hotly and look embarrassed and
nervous.

Truth to tell, Toni was hot all over. A more experienced hostess than
she would have rung the bell and requested Andrews to bring tea; and
doubtless he would have done so without delay, thereby saving the
situation; but to Toni's mind the fact that tea was ready in the room
across the hall quite precluded the possibility of having another tea
brought for the latest visitors; besides which it flashed through her
mind that these people must have seen the tea-table through the big
dining-room window.

Olive Lynn, seeing her confusion, but not understanding its cause, tried
good-naturedly to put her at her ease.

"I think I saw you on the river last night, didn't I? We were in a
canoe, and you and Mr. Rose were punting."

"Oh--yes!" Toni, still wrestling with her problem, answered rather
vaguely. "We--we had taken tea with us and were late home."

"That's so jolly, isn't