ery good, sir."

"You can get to it from the inside, can't you? Because you're not to
go out of doors."

"Oh, yes, thank you, sir."

Two minutes later the car was in the garage, and Thomas and I were
making our way back past the kitchens. Outside the Cromwell room I
stopped.

"You may take Miss Mansel's dressing-case to her room and see to her
fire, then you are to go back to bed."

"It won't take a minute to serve you, sir."

"Thomas, you are to do as I say. It was very good of you to come down.
I'm much obliged. Good night."

"Good night, sir. Oh--"

"Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you, sir, there's a temporary maid will wait on Miss
Mansel in the morning, sir. Susan's had to go away sudden. I think
her father's ill, sir."

"I'm sorry for that. All right. I'Il tell Miss Mansel. Good night."

"Good night, sir."

As I closed the door of the Cromwell room:

"So I'm Miss Mansel," said Eve.

"Quite right, my dear," said I. "One of our party--my cousin, in fact.
When did you wake?"

"Just as you were lifting me out of the car."

I took off my cap and shook its snow into the fire.

"I uncover," said I. "In other words, I take my hat off to you. Eve,
you are an artist. I only wish I were."

"Why?"

"I'd paint you--here, now, just as you are."

"I know I look awful."

"You look perfectly sweet."

"I can't help it."

"I shouldn't try."

She did look wonderful. I had put her upon the sofa, but she had moved
from there, and was sitting on the hearth in front of the great fire.
Plainly she had kept her long grey fur coat on, when she had first sat
down but now she had slipped out of it, and it lay all tumbled about
her on the rug. She was in evening dress, and might have returned, as
I had, from a ball. All blue, it was, blue of a wonderful
shade--periwinkle, I think they call it, Her stockings were
flesh-coloured and her shoes of gold: these she had taken off, the
better to warm her little shining feet. White arms propped her towards
the fire, and she sat sideways, with one leg straight by the warm kerb,
the other drawn up and bringing her dress tight and a little away from
a silk knee. Her dark hair had worked loose under the weight of the
rug, and was lying thick about her smooth shoulders. Save in her face,
she wore no jewels, but two great brown stars smiled at me from either
side of a straight nose. The lips were red now, and her throat soft
and white as her shoulders. I g