me to
his mother, two sisters, two cousins and an aunt. He looked quite
tired, and asked me to luncheon, but unless he had engaged the biggest
room at the Sceptre I should think he must have been glad when I
refused. He was, however, most palpably short of men. I had hardly
got rid of Dennison when I ran into Lambert, escorting four more ladies
with prodigiously long names; I think he must have found them at the
theatre, and he looked more pleased with himself than ever. When I got
back to my rooms I felt quite thankful that my party had not reached an
unwieldy size, and I had not to wait long before Mrs. Faulkner, Nina
and Fred all arrived together.

It is no use trying to give a luncheon party in a very small room,
which was not built for parties of any kind, unless every one is
prepared to be thoroughly uncomfortable. You have got to put dishes
wherever they will go and worry through as best you can. I had taken
quite a lot of trouble over the food, and the size of the room was not
my fault. My scout had made many subtle dispositions of furniture, but
the fact remained that the table was not made to hold five people,
unless the whole lot were really good sorts. So I was delighted to
find that Mrs. Faulkner was in her amiable mood and to hear her say
that she was prepared for anything, though had I not been so sure that
she would be inconvenienced, not to say squashed, before she finished,
I am not sure that I should have accepted this reckless mood as much of
a compliment. The table was so crowded that it was not easy to see how
many people were expected to sit at it, and I was not surprised when
Nina suggested that we should begin luncheon. I pretended not to hear
what she said, and poked my head into a cupboard in the vain hope that
I might find something which I did not know I had lost. Mrs. Faulkner,
however, ranged herself by the table and counted the napkins.

"Five," I heard her say, and I withdrew my head from the cupboard and
whispered "Jack Ward" to Nina.

"Five," Mrs. Faulkner repeated and looked at Nina, Fred and me, as if
she was holding a roll-call.

"Who's the fifth?" Fred asked; "at any rate, I vote we begin."

At that moment I heard some one rushing up-stairs several steps at a
time. Outside my door he stopped to get some breath, and when I
introduced him to Mrs. Faulkner and Nina he was so apologetic for being
late that it was quite difficult for me to stop him. I must say that
Mr