terly
miserable wondering if you were dead, and here we are having lunch
together just like the old days in Chelsea."

"Except for your hair, Joyce," I said. "Don't you remember how it was
always getting in your eyes?"

"Oh, that!" she cried; "that's easily altered."

She put up her hands, and hastily pulled out two or three hairpins.
Then she shook her head, and in a moment a bronze mane was rippling
down over her shoulders exactly as it used to in the old days.

"I wish I could do something like that," I said ruefully. "I'm afraid
my changes are more permanent."

Joyce came up and thrust her arm into mine. "My poor dear," she said,
pressing it to her. "Never mind; you look splendid as you are."

"Won't your boy think there's something odd in our lunching together
like this?" I asked. "He seems a pretty acute sort of youth."

"Jack?" she said. "Oh, Jack's all right. He was a model in Chelsea. I
took him away from his uncle, who used to beat him with a poker. He
doesn't know anything about you, but if he did he would die for you
cheerfully. He's by way of being rather grateful to me."

"You always inspired devotion, Joyce," I said, smiling. "Do you
remember how Tommy and I used to squabble as to which of us should
eventually adopt you?"

She nodded, almost gravely; then with a sudden change back to her
former manner, she made a step towards the inner room, pulling me
after her.

"Come along," she said. "We'll lunch in there. It's more cheerful than
this, and anyway I want to see you in the daylight."

I followed her in through the curtains, and found myself in a small,
narrow room with a window which looked out on the back of Burlington
Arcade. A couple of chairs, a black oak gate-legged table, and a
little green sofa made up the furniture.

Joyce took me to the window, and still holding my arm, made a second
and even longer inspection of McMurtrie's handiwork.

"It's wonderful, Neil," she said at last. "You look fifteen years
older and absolutely different. No one could possibly recognize you
except by the way you speak."

"I've been practising that," I said, altering my voice. "I shouldn't
have given myself away if you hadn't taken me by surprise."

She smiled again happily. "It's so good to feel that you're safe, even
if it's only for a few days." Then, letting go my arm, she crossed to
the sofa. "Come and sit down," she went on. "We've got to decide all
sorts of things, and we shan't have too much