PEACE ENTERTAINS HIS FRIENDS.
“And is he alone?” she inquired.
“No, he is not; he has a lady—I mean a female—with him; but take no more notice of this—I am better now.”
They returned to the box, and secretly, unobserved by any one, Aveline directed Lady Marvlynn’s attention to Gatliffe and Laura Stanbridge.
Her ladyship nodded, but said nothing.
“Lady Aveline is overcome with the heat, which, to say the truth, is most oppressive,” observed Oxmoor.
“Yes, no doubt. She’s fresh from the country, and not used to London life, hot theatres, overpowering gaslights, and all that sort of thing, you know,” said her ladyship, coming to the rescue.
When the third act was over Oxmoor, to the great relief of Aveline, took his departure, upon the plea that he had to meet someone at his club who was about to depart for Calcutta, and prior to his departure the members of the aforesaid club had invited him to a farewell supper.
Whether this plea was a pure invention mattered but little. The troubled wife was but too glad to be relieved of his company, for she felt that he had his eyes upon her for nearly the whole of the time he remained in the box.