The spell, whatever it may have been, had passed. The young man lifted his hat and leaned over the side of the coach.
"I won't get down just now, Amy," he said. "Tell me where you are and
I'll come and see you. How's Richard?"
Maraton, obeying a gesture from Lady Elisabeth, moved away with her, leaving Mrs. Bollington-Watts absorbed in a flood of family questions and answers.
"Come back with me now, won't you?" she asked, a little abruptly. "My uncle is restless and unwell this afternoon, and it will perhaps relieve him to have your decision."
"What about Mrs. Bollington-Watts?"
Lady Elisabeth glanced at him for a moment. Her eyebrows were slightly lifted.
"If you can bear to lose her, I'm sure I can. She is really rather a dear person but she is very intense. She will meet a crowd of people she knows, directly, and quite forget that we have slipped away. Shall we go down Birdcage Walk, or if you are in a hurry, perhaps you would prefer a taxi?"
He shook his head.
"I prefer to walk."
He did not at first prove a very entertaining companion. They proceeded for some distance almost in silence.