There was appeal, half humorous, half pathetic in her eyes. Arnold hesitated, but only for a moment.
"I am sorry," he said, "but indeed I shall not be able to leave the office until after the time for the theatre."
"You will not obey my orders about the office?"
"I could not, in any case, leave Ruth alone this evening," he replied.
She turned away from him. The little gesture with which she refused to see his hand seemed to be one of dismissal.
"Signor di Marito, you will take us to the automobile, will you not?" she said. "Perhaps we can drop you somewhere? Good-bye, Andrea, and thank you very much for your charming luncheon. If the message comes, you will telephone, I know?"
Arnold lingered behind while Sabatini showed his guests to the door. When he, too, would have left, however, his host motioned him to resume his chair.
"Sit down for a few minutes," he begged. "You have probably seen enough of me for to-day, but I may be called away from England at any moment and there is a question I want to ask you before I go."
Arnold nodded.
"You are really in earnest, then, about leaving?" he asked.