the back of your eyes--"

"I'm having a good time."

"It's pretty of you to tell me so. But that's not the reason for your
self-complacence."

"See here," Lanyard interrupted, sitting up and signalling to the
waiter for his bill: "if I let you run on the way you're heading,
you'll presently be telling me something you've found out about me and
I don't want to hear."

"Oh, very well," she sighed. "I'm sure I don't wish to embarrass you.
But I will say this: Men of your uncertain age don't go round with such
contented eyes unless they're prosperously in love."

"Oh, come along!" Lanyard growled, offering to rise. "You know too
confounded much." He waited a moment, and then as she did nothing but
sit and glimmer at him mischievously, he added: "Shall we go?"

"Where now?" she enquired without stirring.

He had a shrug of distaste. "Maxim's, I presume. Unless you can suggest
some other place, more likely and less tedious."

"No," she replied after taking thought; "I can't. We've covered Paris
pretty thoroughly to-night; all except the tourist places."

"No good wasting time on them."

"Then let's stop on here till it's time to milk the cows."

"Pre-Catelan? But there's Maxim's left--"

"Only another tourist show nowadays. And frightfully rowdy."

"Sounds like the lot I'm after. Come along."

She shook her head vigorously. "Shan't!" His eyebrows rose in mute
enquiry. "Because I don't want to," she explained with childlike
candour. "I'm tired of being dragged around and plied with drink. Do
you realise I've had as much as two and a half glasses of champagne
to-night, out of the countless bottles you've ordered? Well, I have,
and they're doing their work: I feel the spirit of independence surging
in my midst. I mutiny and defy you!" A peal of laughter rewarded the
instinctive glance with which he sought to judge how far he was
justified in taking her seriously. "Not only that, but you're
neglecting me. I want to dance, and you haven't asked me in fully half
an hour; and you're a heavenly dancer--and so am I!" She thrust back
her end of their wall table and rose. "If you please, monsieur."

One could hardly resent such charming impertinence. Lanyard drew a long
face of mock patience, sighed an heroic sigh, and followed her through
the huddled tables to the dancing floor. A bewildering look rewarded
him as they swung into the first movement of a tango.

"Do you know you are a dangerous man, Monsieur Paul Marti