f Raymond--Raymond at all stages of his
chequered career, smiling and handsome. Micky turned his back on them
with a feeling of disgust.

The door opened behind him, and, turning sharply, he found himself
face to face with Mrs. Ashton.

She came forward with outstretched hand.

"This is kind of you, Mr. Mellowes. I did not know you had been away
till I got your note this morning. I was wondering why I had had no
reply to mine."

Micky blurted out that he had been in Paris--that he only came back
yesterday evening.

Mrs. Ashton's face changed a little.

"Paris! Have you been with that son of mine?" she asked sharply.

Micky coloured. "I met him--quite by chance, though. We were not
together more than a few minutes."

She smiled rather ironically.

"Have you got tired of him at last, then?" she asked. She moved over
to the fire. She looked back at Micky quizzically. "I have often
wondered how you put up with his friendship so long, Mr. Mellowes,"
she added rather sadly.

Micky felt embarrassed. He had always liked Mrs. Ashton. He stammered
out that he and Raymond had always been very good friends.

She drew her chair a little closer to the fire.

"Very well--then, perhaps, you will be kind enough to answer a
question I am going to ask you. Mr. Mellowes, what was the name of
that girl at Eldred's whom Raymond was always about with before
Christmas?"

The question was so unexpected that Micky was utterly taken aback.
Before he was aware of it he had told a lie.

"I don't know--at least, he always spoke of her as 'Lallie.' I never
once saw him with her, Mrs. Ashton--he never introduced me to her."

She looked rather incredulous.

"And yet you were such friends," she said.

Micky coloured.

"Our tastes were not always identical," he said rather stiffly. "I am
not very interested in women, and he----"

"And he is," she finished for him. "There is no need to tell me
that--I know my son. So you cannot tell me the name of this girl? I
had hoped that you would be able to do so."

Micky met her eyes unflinchingly.

"I dare say I could find out," he said. "If she is still at
Eldred's."

"She is not there." Mrs. Ashton looked up at Micky with an anxious
line between her handsome eyes. "Mr. Mellowes, I have always prided
myself on my sense of justice, and somehow lately I have got an
uncomfortable feeling that when I forbade Raymond to have anything
more to do with that girl it would have been better if