ne were
coming. It must be after five, isn't it?"

"Two minutes after," said Anne.

"I thought so. I wonder what has become of--Oh, by the way, Jane, Percy was
saying the other day that Eddie Townshield has really been thrown over by
that silly little Egburt girl. He was frightfully gone on her, you know.
You wouldn't know her. She came out after you went into retirement. That's
rather good, isn't it? Retirement! I must tell that to Percy. He thinks I
haven't a grain of humour, my dear. It bores him, I fancy, because he is
so witty himself. And heaven knows he doesn't get it from his father. That
reminds me, have you heard that Captain Poindexter is about to be
dismissed from the army on account of that affair with Mrs. Coles last
winter? The government is very strict about--Ah, perhaps that is Percy
now."

But it was not Percy,--only a boy with a telegram.

"Will you pardon me?" said Anne, and tore open the envelope. "Why, it's
from Percy."

"From--dear me, what is it, Anne? Has anything happened--"

"Just a word to say that he will be fifteen or twenty minutes late," said
Anne drily.

"He is the most thoughtful boy in--But as I was saying, Herbie Vandervelt's
affair with Anita Coles was the talk of the town last winter. Every one
says that he will not marry her even though Coles divorces her. How I hate
that in men. They are not all that sort, thank God. I suppose the business
in connection with the estate has been settled, hasn't it? As I recall it,
the will was a very simple one, aside from that ridiculous provision that
shocked every one so much. I think you made a great mistake in not
contesting it, Annie. Percy says that it wouldn't have stood in any court.
By the way, have you seen Braden Thorpe?" She eyed her hostess rather
narrowly.

"No," was the reply. "It hasn't been necessary, you know. Mr. Dodge
attended to everything. My duties as executrix were trifling. My report,
or whatever you call it, was ready months ago."

"And all that money? I mean, the money that went to Braden. What of that?"

"It did not go to Braden, Mrs. Wintermill," said Anne levelly. "It is in
trust."

Mrs. Wintermill smiled. "Oh, nothing will come of that," she said. "Percy
says that you could bet your boots that Braden would have contested if
things had been the other way round."

"I'm sure I don't know," said Anne briefly.

"I hear that he is hanging on in spite of what the world says about him,
trying to get a practi