t all the
people come dressed as children, or ask some wild animals to look in in
the evening?"

Jasmyn threw up his hands in horror.

"My dear Lady Nora, don't make fun of me! No, some rather intelligent
people are coming."

"Really? I thought your parties were always very smart!"

"There'll be some people who can talk, don't you know."

"What about?" said Lady Nora.

"Ah! that's the point! Now, I propose that when supper's on there shall
be a special supper served at one table for ten in my little octagon
room, and _with_ the menu a subject for conversation with each item! It
will, of course, not bore people, because, from the programme, they will
see there is an ordinary supper-room too, and they can choose!"

"It will be a general conversation, remember; and people aren't very
keen on that," said Lady Nora.

"Well, we shall see. So long as you don't disapprove (and one other lady
to whom I shall speak of it). I think it's not a bad idea. I shall not
have good music, Lady Nora. It isn't a concert--it's a conversazione."

"But you won't have _bad_ music? I can't imagine anything bad in your
house," said Lady Nora.

"No, but music that encourages talk. De Valdez once sang at my
house--_Everybody_ was there, and they _all_ talked! He got up and said,
in the middle of Although, that lovely song, 'Here are five hundred
people who want to talk, and only one who wants to sing. The odds are
not fair. I give in.' And nothing would induce him to go on. But as he
remained and was most agreeable to every one, one could hardly call it
the caprice of a spoilt artist. Indeed, I think he was quite right."

Lady Nora sighed. "But how uncomfortable! Well, then, you'd better have
the Blue Hungarians and the Red ones too. Those who don't like the one
can listen to the other."

He laughed and said, "Bertie's the image of his mother. I shall have a
first-rate band and second-rate music."

"Agatha, Mrs. Wilkinson," was delighted at all the plans but said she
simply _must_ go to supper with Bobby Henderson, as it would be too
marked to be escorted by the host.

As a matter of fact, nothing Agatha did was ever noticed, because she
never did anything that was not extraordinary.

* * * * *

"Do I look all right, Chetwode?"

"Quite unnecessarily so," said Chetwode, and he gave her a look, which
she recognised as the greatest compliment she ever received.

Her eyes brightened and she blushed.