CHAPTER V
LEAP YEAR
Kenneth Blair received Miss Arnot's note as he sat at breakfast in the pleasant room of the quiet little hotel overlooking the Embankment, where he was staying in company with Mr. and Mrs. MacTavish. He was to them as one come back from the dead, and they grudged every minute he was out of their sight.
The incidents of the previous night had been rather wearing on them all, and they were later than usual that morning, and, at that, dallying over an enjoyment that would soon be of the memory only.
The rare colour filled his pale face as he read the two lines of Miss Arnot's note, and he read them several times, as though frequent perusal might provoke interpretation.
"DEAR MR. BLAIR,—
"I have an urgent wish to speak with you. Will you do me the favour of calling here at 3 p.m. to-day?
"Yours sincerely,
"JEAN ARNOT."
"I wonder what she wants?" he said meditatively, and handed the note to the old people. "I don't think I want to see anybody."
"I think you must comply with her request, my boy," said Mr. MacTavish. "She has more than ordinary claims upon your consideration, you know."