"I never refuse. I always accept the cup—and put it down somewhere."
"For another guest to knock over. You're a hardened reprobate, but this time you shall not escape. You know Miss Campbell, who is pouring tea for me this afternoon? No? Then I'll introduce you. Miss Campbell, this is Secretary Stanley, a member of the Diplomatic Corps, who has just confessed to me that he habitually eludes the trustful hostess and the proffered tea. You'll give him a cup and see that he drinks it before he leaves the room," and the vivacious little woman departed, leaving him no alternative but to accept his fate meekly.
"How do you like your tea?" inquired Miss Campbell, a young lady deft of hand, but with few ideas.
"Lemon and no sugar."
"How nasty! But then, I forgot you never really drink it, Lady Rainsford says. But this time——"
"This time," he replied, "I'm a lamb led to the slaughter."
Miss Campbell said, "Really?" Then there followed an awkward silence.
Looking around for some means of escape, he saw a face in the crowd, that caused him to start, so utterly unexpected and out of place did it seem, considering what he had heard that afternoon. It was the face of Colonel Darcy.
He did not think the man knew him, and for obvious reasons he did not care to be introduced; so he turned again to Miss Campbell, who, seeing no alternative, rose to the occasion and continued the conversation by remarking:—
"Is it true that you go to such an enormous number of teas? What do you find to talk about?"