"From Robert!" she said, in a voice choked with emotion. He took it and read:
Am leaving Geneva International Labor Conference tonight. Hope to see you and Janet in Paris tomorrow.
Robert Lloyd.
"That's one on us!" remarked Kelly, awkwardly, and a little afraid of the storm signals in Cornelia's eyes.
His fatuous slang irritated her enormously.
"Isn't it like Robert to turn up at the most inconvenient time imaginable? Just as Janet is on the point of being engaged! It spoils everything."
"How did he locate us, I wonder?" said Kelly lamely. "I thought you had lost all track of him."
When they had taken over Paulette's, Cornelia had insisted on ruthlessly dropping former friends in impoverished circumstances on the plea that every connection that was not an asset was a liability. It had been a sore point between the two at first.
"Pryor—the meddling fool—probably put him onto us," replied Cornelia. "Now everything's sure to go to pot unless we can keep Robert from interfering. As long as he's around, Janet will never marry Monsieur St. Hilaire."
"She's just crazy enough to throw away the chance of a lifetime," said Mazie, judging it expedient to chime in with Cornelia.