erview people."

"What people?"

"Sir Pleydell Harcourt for instance, who had sixteen pianos sent to him
only last week, to say nothing of pantechnicon vans and half the
contents of Harrods' and Whiteleys', so that Arlington Street was
blocked, simply blocked, the whole of last Friday."

"Did he say Arthur had sent them?"

"He had no direct proof--but he knew. There was no other man in London
would have done such a thing."

"Did you send them, Ju-ju?"

"No," said Jones. "I did not."

Venetia rose.

"You admitted to me, yourself, that you did," said she.

"I was only joking," he replied.

Teresa went to the bell and rang it.

"Good night," said Venetia, "after that I have nothing more to say."

"Thank goodness," murmured Teresa when she was gone. "She made me shiver
with her talk about extravagance. I've been horribly extravagant the
last week--when a woman is distracted she runs to clothes for
relief--anyhow I did. I've got three new evening frocks and I want to
show you them. I've never known your taste wrong."

"Good," said Jones, "I'd like to see them."

"Guess what they cost?"

"Can't."

"Two hundred and fifty--and they are a bargain. You're not shocked, are
you?"

"Not a bit."

"Well, come and look at them--what's the time? Half past ten." She led
the way upstairs.

On the first landing she turned to the left, opened a door and disclosed
a bed-room where a maid was moving about arranging things and unpacking
boxes.

A large cardboard box lay open on the floor, it was filled with snow
white lingerie. The instinct to bolt came upon Jones so strongly that he
might have obeyed it, only for the hand upon his arm pressing him down
into a chair.

"Anne," said the Countess of Rochester, "bring out my new evening gowns,
I want to show them."

Then she turned to the cardboard box. "Here's some more of my
extravagance. I couldn't resist them, Venetia nearly had a fit when she
saw the bill--Look!"

She exhibited frilled and snow white things, delicate and diaphanous and
fit to be worn by angels. Then the dresses arrived, and were laid out on
the bed and inspected. There was a black gown and a grey gown and a
confection in pale blue. If Jones had been asked to price them he would
have said a hundred dollars. Like most men he was absolutely unconscious
of the worth of a woman's dress. To a woman a Purdy and a ten guinea
Birmingham gun are just the same, and to a man, a ten guinea Bayswater
dress