“Who were you dining with?”

“I was not dining with a gentleman, at least not by myself,” said Regina. “Julia and I were dining with Maudie and Harry.”

“And they saw—?”

“They did.”

“And they thought—?”

“They did.”

“That I was dining on my own with that creature! I never felt so insulted in my life.”

“Insulted, Alfred?”

“Insulted, Queenie. When I take to dining ladies on my own, they shall be women who are something to look at. Damn it all!” he went on, “I’ve been accustomed to taking a smart woman about. This creature wasn’t even amusing, and what’s more, she’s the least French of any Frenchwoman I ever came across in my life.”

“Well, go on. You were telling me—?”