“The older set? Our contemporaries, you mean?”
“Why—yes.” Miss Suffern paused as if to gather herself up for a leap. “The Ashton Gileses,” she brought out.
“The Ashton Gileses? Really? I shall be glad to see Mary Giles again. It must be eighteen years,” said Mrs. Lidcote steadily.
“Yes,” Miss Suffern gasped, precipitately refilling her cup.
“The Ashton Gileses; and who else?”
“Well, the Sam Fresbies. But the most important person, of course, is Mrs. Lorin Boulger.”
“Mrs. Boulger? Leila didn’t tell me she was coming.”
“Didn’t she? I suppose she forgot everything when she saw you. But the party was got up for Mrs. Boulger. You see, it’s very important that she should—well, take a fancy to Leila and Wilbour; his being appointed to Rome virtually depends on it. And you know Leila insists on Rome in order to be near you. So she asked Mary Giles, who’s intimate with the Boulgers, if the visit couldn’t possibly be arranged; and Mary’s cable caught Mrs. Boulger at Cherbourg. She’s to be only a fortnight in America; and getting her to come directly here was rather a triumph.”
“Yes; I see it was,” said Mrs. Lidcote.
“You know, she’s rather—rather fussy; and Mary was a little doubtful if—”