"You—are—an—actress!"
"Fact! I'm quite harmless. If you keep six feet from me there's not the slightest danger of contamination."
Then, seeing his look of astonished bewilderment, she burst into a peal of ringing laughter, crying:
"Why, to look at you, one would think I'd told you that I was a Gorgon!"
"No, no," he said, stammering. "I—I'm delighted. I always really wanted to meet an actress—but—er—I hardly know what to say—"
"Don't say anything. Just be your dear unsophisticated self, or you'll be a bore. Cecil didn't dare tell you who I was, for fear you'd be shocked. Come on, let's go up on deck. It's close down here."
"It is," admitted his Lordship, whose temperature had risen with his consumption of champagne, and added:
"We should be well out by this time, for we seem to have been going at great speed."
"Isn't it glorious!" she cried. "I wonder what they're doing at Blanford. I guess your telegram was an eye-opener."
"Bless my soul!" exclaimed the Bishop, fishing a form out of his pocket. "I forgot to send it."