I had advised
her to have nothing more to do with him. He is my son, and perhaps it
seems strange for me to speak about him like that, but you cannot have
been friends with him all these months without finding him out, so I
need not apologise. Raymond is just his father over again...." She
paused, and a painful little smile curved her lips.

She looked at Micky rather pathetically. "There is no need for me to
say any more, is there?" she asked.

Micky did not answer. He had heard many stories about Raymond's
father, all more or less unsavoury, and he knew that from all accounts
Mrs. Ashton had been greatly to be pitied during his lifetime.

"So if you can't help me in this," she went on presently, "I am afraid
I have brought you here for nothing. I want to find out who this girl
is, and see her for myself." She paused, but Micky's face was
inscrutable.

In his heart he was convinced that she did not believe him, but he had
no intention of telling her Esther's name; he longed to know if Esther
were in the house, but, of course, it was impossible to ask.

It almost seemed as if Mrs. Ashton could read his thoughts, for she
said suddenly--

"Do you know, Mr. Mellowes, that I am going to have a companion?"

Micky echoed her last word vacantly.

"Companion?--I--er...."

"Yes, a girl," Mrs. Ashton went on; "I have always envied people with
daughters; a daughter is so much more to a mother than a son; but as I
was not fortunate enough to have one of my own I am going to try
having a companion. Raymond will be annoyed, I dare say--he has always
pooh-poohed the idea when I have mentioned it to him, but now----" she
shrugged her shoulders and sighed impatiently. "Well, he can no longer
object, I think, seeing that he is to be married himself...."

Micky made a little quick movement, almost knocking over a vase of
flowers standing at his elbow; he recovered himself with an effort.

"Married?" he said. "Why, I thought...." he broke off. "He did not say
anything about it to me when I met him in Paris," he said lamely.

"No?" Her handsome eyes searched his agitated face critically. "Well,
he is to be married all the same," she said. "I heard from him only
this morning. He is engaged to Tom Clare's widow--Tubby Clare, I
believe he was always called."

CHAPTER XVI

When Micky left Mrs. Ashton he raced off to meet Marie.

She was looking quite her prettiest, in dark furs with a bunch of
violets in the breast of h