sed you?"

He laughed. He looked down at her with a comical expression in his
eyes.

"She's not the first woman who's done that," he reminded her.

She sat up with sudden haste.

"That wasn't anything, but this...."

"This," said Micky, "isn't anything either, except on my side. You
always told me that some day I shouldn't be able to have what I
wanted. You were right."

"I should like to slap her!" said June viciously.

He laughed outright.

"If you did I should slap you, my dear." He went back to his chair by
the fire. "It's only between ourselves, June," he said.

"Of course ... and, Micky--do you think she will marry Ashton?"

Micky did not answer for a moment.

"No," he said at last. "I don't think so."

June stared at him.

"Then--then do you mean----" But he would not tell her anything.

"You've heard quite enough for one day," he said teasingly. "Don't
worry your head about me. I don't know why I told you--somehow I
thought you'd guessed."

June threw her cigarette into the fire.

"I did. I'll be honest--I did guess," she broke off. "Here is Esther,"
she added.

She got up and opened the door.

"The lady with the fur coat," she announced drily. "Pray come in,
madame!"

"June," said Esther protestingly.

She seemed to guess who was there. She looked past her friend at once
to Micky.

She coloured faintly as he rose to greet her.

He had not seen her in the fur coat before. The dark fur suited her
fairness admirably; the heavy folds hung gracefully about her slim
figure; her face rose like a flower from the big, upstanding collar.

"And where have you been all the afternoon?" June demanded. "We waited
tea for you till nearly five."

Esther made a little grimace. "I've had my tea out--with Mr. Harley."

"Harley?" said Micky sharply.

June laughed.

"He's one of the tribe who live here," she explained. "He's a great
admirer of Esther's. And he's quite a nice boy too, isn't he?" she
appealed to her friend.

"Very nice," Esther agreed. "I met him quite by chance, and so we went
and had some tea."

Micky was frowning; it was odd that he felt more jealous of this man
whom he had never seen than he had ever done of Ashton. He hated to
feel that Esther had gone out with him wearing her new coat.

He stood by silently while the two girls chattered together; he felt
very much out of it and unwanted.

"I'm glad everybody likes my coat," Esther said. She had taken it off
and was hol