"Well?" he said. "May I be your escort?"
Under cover of the dusk, Clodagh smiled.
"Mr. Barnard generally takes me home——"
Involuntarily Gore's figure stiffened.
"—But," she added in a low, quick whisper, "I—I would very much rather go back with you!"
Under many conditions, the words would have seemed bold. But the manner in which she uttered them disarmed criticism. Gore's face relaxed.
"Then let us make our escape!" he said. "Lady Frances is settling a bridge dispute; and quite a dozen people have slipped away in the last ten minutes. No one will question which of them has taken you home."
And Clodagh gave a short, light laugh of sudden pleasure. The small conspiracy made Gore so much more human—drew them so much closer together than they had been before.
"Yes!—yes!" she said eagerly. "And I am lunching with Lady Frances to-morrow. I can explain then."
"Yes! Quite so! Now, if you are ready!"