“Yes; on the Times.”
“She won’t be one long, though,” asserted Rob cheerfully, “because she is going to marry my cousin in the fall.”
Beth’s expression remained neutral at the announcement, but I noticed throughout the afternoon that she was extremely affable toward Miss Frayne, and that she had the whiphand again with Rob, and meanwhile he seemed to be gathering a grim determination to do or die.
“Lucien, how did you come to ask Miss Frayne to go to that awful place tonight?” asked Silvia when we had gone to our room for a siesta, which seemed impossible by reason of the bellowing of Diogenes, who balked at being required to lie down.
“Rob asked me to,” I informed her, when I had cowed Diogenes, “so he could have a free field for Beth. I believe he 190 planned this expedition so he could storm the citadel.”
She reflected.
“Well, maybe he is wise. Girls like Beth have to be taken by storm sometimes. I shouldn’t wonder if Rob could be a bit of a bully, too, but––”
She ended her speculations in a shriek.
“Oh, Lucien! Diogenes has jumped out the window.”
We rushed down stairs, Silvia informing the guests in transit of the awful catastrophe.