"I must say I can't see the fascination these fellows seem to exercise."
"And you'd think a girl like that——"
"My dear fellow, do remember she is a married woman. Probably Sterne could do nothing, even if he wanted to, with that hair! What I say is, there can't be smoke without fire."
When Cyprian revoked, Dummy got up and, muttering of thirst, ordered drinks all round before closing the glass doors.
The bridge-players avoided Cyprian's eyes in saying good night.
He walked home slowly, his head buzzing.
What in the name of all that was impossible did they think and mean? What had Ferlie been doing, and—here the sting!—what had she been concealing from him?
She had, in fact, decided that the picture was to be a birthday surprise. She was still young enough to attach a joyous importance to anniversaries which he was beginning to regard as intervals of mourning, best celebrated by a black tie.
It would not have proved difficult to extract her simple secret had he not been too inwardly disturbed to approach her with an unprejudiced mind.
As it was, he began by applying an unflatteringly descriptive adjective to Digby Maur's name, which brought the championing colour to her cheek, before he demanded if it were true that she had visited him at his house.