re was a moment's breathless and disappointed silence. If only he
had known it, sympathy was almost entirely with him. Anna was no
favourite at No. 13 Montague Street.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"You appear," she said, without any sign of anger in her tone, and
with unruffled composure, "to be a very impertinent person. Do you
mind talking to some one else."

Mrs. White leaned forward in her chair with an anxious smile designed
to throw oil upon the troubled waters.

"Come," she said. "We mustn't have any unpleasantness, and Mr. Hill's
first night back amongst us, too. No doubt there's some little
mistake. We all get deceived sometimes. Mr. Hill, I hope you won't
find everything cold. You're a little late, you must remember, and we
are punctual people here."

"I shall do very well, thank you, ma'am," he answered shortly.

Sydney and Brendon vied with one another in their efforts to engage
Anna in conversation, and Miss Ellicot, during the momentary lull,
deemed it a favourable opportunity to recommence siege operations. The
young man was mollified by her sympathy, and flattered by the obvious
attempts of several of the other guests to draw him into conversation.
Yet every now and then, during the progress of the meal, his attention
apparently wandered, and leaning forward he glanced covertly at Anna
with a curious mixture of expressions on his face.

Anna rose a few minutes before the general company. At the same time
Sydney and Brendon also vacated their places. To reach the door they
had to pass the end of the table, and behind the chair where Mr. Hill
was seated. He rose deliberately to his feet and confronted them.

"I should like to speak to you for a few minutes," he said to Anna,
dropping his voice a little. "It is no good playing a game. We had
better have it over."

She eyed him scornfully. In any place her beauty would have been an
uncommon thing. Here, where every element of her surroundings was
tawdry and commonplace, and before this young man of vulgar origin and
appearance, it was striking.

"I do not know you," she said coldly. "I have nothing to say to you."

He stood before the door. Brendon made a quick movement forward. She
laid her hand upon his arm.

"Please don't," she said. "It really is not necessary. Be so good as
to let me pass, sir," she added, looking her obstructor steadily in
the face.

He hesitated.

"This is all rot!" he declared angrily. "You can't think that I'm foo