"Stuff!" said Lord Harry. "I can tell you this, Gussie, it will be a pretty fool of a woman who lets that fellow persuade her into marrying him!"
"You are a schoolboy, and know nothing of the matter," responded Augusta coldly.
"Oh, don't I, by Gad?" Lord Harry gave a crack of laughter. "Don't be such a simpleton!"
Barbara interrupted this dialogue with a good deal of Impatience. "Do not expose yourselves more than you are obliged!" she begged. "Charles is as yet unacquainted with my family. If he must discover how devious we are, pray let him do so gradually!"
"Very true," said Augusta. "We are all of us grangers to him, and he to us. How odd it seems, to be sure!"
Her husband moved restlessly, and said something under his breath. Colonel Audley, however, replied without an instant's hesitation: "Odd, indeed, but you put me perfectly at my ease, ma'am. You are in a cross humour, and do not scruple to show it. I feel myself one of the family already."
Barbara's gurgle of laughter broke the astonished silence that followed these words. "Charles! Superb! Confess, Gussie, you are done up!"
Augusta's stiffened countenance relaxed into a reluctant smile. "I am certainly taken aback, and must accord Colonel Audley the honours of that bout. Come, let us go in to dinner!"
She led the way into the dining parlour, indicated to the Colonel that he should sit at her right hand, and behaved towards him throughout the meal, if not with cordiality, at least with civility.
There was no lack of conversation, the Colonel being too used to maintaining a flow of talk at Headquarters' parties ever to be at a loss, and Lord Harry having an inexhaustible supply of chitchat at his tongue's end. Barbara said little. An attempt by Lord Harry to twit her on her engagement brought the stormy look back into her face. The Colonel intervened swiftly, turning aside the shaft, but not before Barbara had snapped out a snub. Augusta said with a titter: "I have often thought the betrothed state to be wretchedly commonplace."