"She's somewhere," he said indifferently. "Lost her bangle or something." And he passed on, making towards the smoking-room, the door of which was open.
Evidently Mrs. Delarayne was not to be his confidante, and, as he vanished behind the glass doors, she wondered what his strange manner could signify.
There was no one in the smoking-room, and he moved on into the lounge.
Sir Joseph was there, sipping an aperitif with Guy, and sitting around them were Miss Mallowcoid and the first arrivals, still clad in their mackintoshes. They were all discussing the arrangement for some rabbit shooting in the afternoon. Sir Joseph wanted the rabbits for his men in Lombard Street.
Cleopatra and everyone looked up as Denis entered.
"Well?" enquired Guy, "did you find the bangle?"
Denis braced himself for a great effort and, smiling with as much good humour as he could muster, helped himself to a glass of sherry.
"Yes, what about the bangle?" Stephen exclaimed.
"When I last saw them," Denis observed with creditable composure, "they were too busy kissing to be able to find any bangle."
As he pronounced these words he glanced furtively at Cleopatra, but although he noticed that she winced, he was not a little surprised to see how collected and serene she remained. Did she perhaps think he was lying?