"Ah! You saw him further," said George amicably. "He's a real rouser.

Young Val will want a bit of looking after. I was always sorry for

Winifred. She's a plucky woman."

Again Soames nodded. "I must be getting back to her," he said; "she just

wanted to know for certain. We may have to take steps. I suppose there's

no mistake?"

"It's quite O.K.," said George--it was he who invented so many of those

quaint sayings which have been assigned to other sources. "He was drunk

as a lord last night; but he went off all right this morning. His ship's

the Tuscarora;" and, fishing out a card, he read mockingly:

"'Mr. Montague Dartie, Poste Restante, Buenos Aires.' I should hurry up

with the steps, if I were you. He fairly fed me up last night."

"Yes," said Soames; "but it's not always easy." Then, conscious from

George's eyes that he had roused reminiscence of his own affair, he got

up, and held out his hand. George rose too.

"Remember me to Winifred.... You'll enter her for the Divorce Stakes

straight off if you ask me."

Soames took a sidelong look back at him from the doorway. George had

seated himself again and was staring before him; he looked big and

lonely in those black clothes. Soames had never known him so subdued. 'I

suppose he feels it in a way,' he thought. 'They must have about fifty

thousand each, all told. They ought to keep the estate together. If

there's a war, house property will go down. Uncle Roger was a good

judge, though.' And the face of Annette rose before him in the darkening

street; her brown hair and her blue eyes with their dark lashes, her

fresh lips and cheeks, dewy and blooming in spite of London, her perfect

French figure. 'Take steps!' he thought. Re-entering Winifred's house

he encountered Val, and they went in together. An idea had occurred to

Soames. His cousin Jolyon was Irene's trustee, the first step would be

to go down and see him at Robin Hill. Robin Hill! The odd--the very odd

feeling those words brought back! Robin Hill--the house Bosinney had

built for him and Irene--the house they had never lived in--the fatal

house! And Jolyon lived there now! H'm! And suddenly he thought: 'They

say he's got a boy at Oxford! Why not take young Val down and introduce

them! It's an excuse! Less bald--very much less bald!' So, as they went

upstairs, he said to Val:

"You've got a cousin at Oxford; you've never met him. I should like to

take you down with me to-morrow to where he lives and introduce you.

You'll find it useful."




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