Mrs. Delarayne was still adamant. "I hate the insult to Cleo," she said, "and I don't like him. But if you both insist."
Sir Joseph repudiated the suggestion that he insisted.
"Neither do I, of course," Miss Mallowcoid exclaimed with an ironic smile. "A lot of good I should do by insisting."
"Do you propose to speak to him?" Mrs. Delarayne enquired of the baronet.
"I will if you like."
"I think you might both do it," suggested Miss Mallowcoid. "At all events, there's no immediate hurry," said Sir Joseph.
At this moment Denis and Leonetta came up the steps and were greeted by the party at the card-table.
"Oh, my dear, how hot you look!" cried Mrs. Delarayne to her daughter.
"Yes, we've been stepping it out a bit, because I wanted to get home."
Mrs. Delarayne noticed that her child was badly dishevelled, and that there was an unusually fiery glint in her eyes.