Briggs raised his hand warningly. “But it marked my first step in the wrong direction. All those luxuries, instead of bringing me nearer my wife, have taken me away from her. Sometimes I——”
They heard a voice in the hall and the sound of a girl’s laughter. Briggs stopped speaking and listened. A moment later Fanny Wallace ran in, followed by her aunt, her father and Guy Fullerton.
“Here we are at last!” said Fanny. “Missed us?” she went on, and she gave her uncle a kiss on the chin. “Oh, we’ve had the loveliest dinner! Terrapin and mushrooms and venison and—you should have seen dad when he looked over the bill! Now, aren’t you sorry you didn’t come?” she asked, turning to Guy.
“I was very sorry before you went,” Guy replied.
“What did you have, Uncle Doug?”
“I didn’t have anything.”
Fanny stood still. “What?”
Helen interposed, as she was about to unpin her hat: “But I told Martha to have some dinner for you.”
“I told her that I was going out, but I fell asleep,” Briggs explained.
“I’ll see about something.” Helen Briggs removed her hat and pinned her veil on it.