a great deal discussed just now, however. Let us speak
of your personal plans. What do you intend to do for the next few weeks,
say? Have you been to see any of your relatives yet?"

"Not one," Dominey replied. "I am afraid that I am not altogether keen
about making advances."

Mr. Mangan coughed. "You must remember that during the period of your
last residence in London," he said, "you were in a state of chronic
impecuniosity. No doubt that rather affected the attitude of some of
those who would otherwise have been more friendly."

"I should be perfectly content never to see one of them again," declared
Dominey, with perfect truth.

"That, of course, is impossible," the lawyer protested. "You must go and
see the Duchess, at any rate. She was always your champion."

"The Duchess was always very kind to me," Dominey admitted doubtfully,
"but I am afraid she was rather fed up before I left England."

Mr. Mangan smiled. He was enjoying a very excellent lunch, which it
seemed hard to believe was ordered by a man just home from the wilds of
Africa, and he thoroughly enjoyed talking about duchesses.

"Her Grace," he began--

"Well?"

The lawyer had paused, with his eyes glued upon the couple at a
neighbouring table. He leaned across towards his companion.

"The Duchess herself, Sir Everard, just behind you, with Lord St. Omar."

"This place must certainly be the rendezvous of all the world," Dominey
declared, as he held out his hand to a man who had approached their
table. "Seaman, my friend, welcome! Let me introduce you to my friend
and legal adviser, Mr. Mangan--Mr. Seaman."

Mr. Seaman was a short, fat man, immaculately dressed in most
conventional morning attire. He was almost bald, except for a little
tuft on either side, and a few long, fair hairs carefully brushed back
over a shining scalp. His face was extraordinarily round except towards
his chin, where it came to a point; his eyes bright and keen, his mouth
the mouth of a professional humourist. He shook hands with the lawyer
with an _empressement_ which was scarcely English.

"Within the space of half an hour," Dominey continued, "I find a
princess who desires to claim my acquaintance; a cousin," he dropped his
voice a little, "who lunches only a few tables away, and the man of whom
I have seen the most during the last ten years amidst scenes a little
different from these, eh, Seaman?"

Seaman accepted the chair which the waiter had brought and sat