his prisoner's
hour of mid-day airing. Mrs. Willoughby spoke to Clarice, mentioning a
private view of an exhibition of pictures at which she had seen Clarice.

'Who was the cavalier?' she added.

'Mr. Drake,' Clarice replied serenely. 'I met him there by accident.'
Mrs. Willoughby looked puzzled, and repeated the name in an undertone.

'You don't know him, I think,' Clarice went on. 'He comes here. Papa
asked him to call. Captain Drake, I suppose we ought to call him, but he
has dropped the Captain.'

Mrs. Willoughby started and shot a bewildered glance at Mr. Le Mesurier.

'I like the man very much,' said Mr. Le Mesurier, with a touch of
championship in his voice. 'You should meet him. I am sure you would
like him too.'

Mrs. Willoughby made no answer to the suggestion, and resumed her dinner
in silence, while Conway sang his usual paean of praise. After a little
she turned to Mallinson.

'Do you know this Mr. Drake?'

'Yes, we were boys together in the same suburb before he went to Africa.
It was unfortunately through me that he was asked to this house. I had
mentioned him as a friend of mine at one time, and Miss Le Mesurier
invited me to bring him on the day he reached London.'

'So soon as that! It's funny Clarice never mentioned him to me. You, of
course, told her the date of Mr. Drake's arrival.'

'No, she found that out from an interview in the _Meteor_.'

'I remember.'

'You read it?'

'Yes. So you introduced him to Clarice?'

'No. He did not come that night. Conway brought him up to Mr. Le
Mesurier's box when _Frou-Frou_ was being played a month ago.'

'Never mind, we will talk of something else.'

Mrs. Willoughby had just observed Clarice. She was nodding assent to the
words of her neighbour, but plainly lending an attentive ear to Mrs.
Willoughby's conversation. Mrs. Willoughby spoke of indifferent subjects
until the ladies rose.

When Mallinson, however, entered the drawing-room, he perceived Mrs.
Willoughby's fan motioning him to attendance, and she took up the thread
of her talk at the point where she had dropped it.

'You said unfortunately.'

'Well, you have read the _Meteor_.'

'You endorse their view?'

'From what I have seen of Drake since his return, yes.'

'But if there's anything in their charges, why doesn't the Colonial
Office move?'

'The Colonial Office!' Mallinson shrugged his shoulders. 'You forget only
natives and Arabs were killed in the Boruwimi expedition,