“I—I—I lost at first, but—but on the whole evening, I think I came out fairly well,” he said, with a curious half-look, veiled and cautious, at the young man by his side.
Sir Harry laughed.
“Well,” said he, “if you did as well all round——”
Then he checked himself, as Diggs looked up with an angry eye. “Fortune of war, fortune of war!” laughed Sir Harry, as he again turned to his hostess. “Madame Rocada——”
But Audrey interrupted him sharply.
“Don’t call me by that name,” said she with decision. “It is not mine; somebody suggested it as a name to use in business, but I hate it and do not mean to be called by it any longer.”
“What am I to call you then? Just Madame?” said the young man, rather taken aback by the anger and petulance she showed.
For one moment she hesitated, regretting already that she had said so much. Then recovering herself a little, she answered:—
“Well, there will be no need to call me anything but just ‘Madame’ during the few days I shall remain here.”
“Few days! Oh, I hope you are not going away?”