"Miss Maclean," he said, in a low voice, "will you allow me to see you to your carriage?"
"Thank you very much," she said simply, "but I have promised to stay here all night."
Ralph bit his lip. No, certainly she had not been thinking of him when she sang that song.
He made a few commonplace remarks, to which Mona replied quietly, but it was maddening work trying to talk to her in that crowd, and he soon gave up the attempt in despair. To-morrow, thank heaven! he could see her alone.
"Have not you had enough of this, Jack?" he said to his friend. "I vote we go home."
"Done! Let's go and have a smoke."
When the two men entered Dudley's sitting-room, Jack walked straight up to the Nydia on the wall.
"There!" he said triumphantly. "Miss Maclean might have stood for that."
"Or you might!" said Ralph scornfully.
But when his friend was gone, he owned to himself that there was a superficial resemblance to Mona in the contour of the face, and in the breadth of movement suggested by the artist. Ralph laid down his meerschaum and walked across the room to look at it.