asked.

"To a sane point of view concerning the holiness of the aristocracy,"
Lucille answered. "I am afraid though that I have made very little
impression. In his heart I believe Mr. Brott would like to see us all
working for our living, school-teachers and dressmakers, and that sort
of thing, you know."

Mr. Brott protested.

"I am not even," he declared, "moderately advanced in my views as
regards matters of your sex. To tell you the truth, I do not like women
to work at all outside their homes."

Lady Carey laughed.

"My dear," she said to Lucille, "you and I may as well retire in
despair. Can't you see the sort of woman Mr. Brott admires? She isn't
like us a bit. She is probably a healthy, ruddy-cheeked young person who
lives in the country, gets up to breakfast to pour out the coffee for
some sort of a male relative, goes round the garden snipping off roses
in big gloves and a huge basket, interviews the cook, orders the dinner,
makes fancy waistcoats for her husband, and failing a sewing maid, does
the mending for the family. You and I, Lucille, are not like that."

"Well, you have mentioned nothing which I couldn't do, if it seemed
worth while," Lucille objected. "It sounds very primitive and
delightful. I am sure we are all too luxurious and too lazy. I think we
ought to turn over a new leaf."

"For you, dear Lucille," Lady Carey said with suave and deadly satire,
"what improvement is possible? You have all that you could desire. It
is much less fortunate persons, such as myself, to whom Utopia must seem
such a delightful place."

A frock-coated and altogether immaculate young man approached their
table and accosted Mr. Sabin.

"I beg your pardon, sir," he said, "but the manager would be much
obliged if you would spare him a moment or two in his private room as
soon as possible."

Mr. Sabin nodded.

"In a few minutes," he answered.

The little party broke up almost immediately. Coffee was ordered in the
palm court, where the band was playing. Mr. Sabin and the Prince fell a
little behind the others on the way out of the room.

"You heard my summons?" Mr. Sabin asked.

"Yes!"

"I am going to be cross-examined as regards Duson. I am no longer a
member of the Order. What is to prevent my setting them upon the right
track?"

"The fact," the Prince said coolly, "that you are hoping one day to
recover Lucille."

"I doubt," Mr. Sabin said, "whether you are strong enough to keep her
from me."