Mrs. Coolidge was equal to the situation. Turning to her daughter, she said:
“Oh, yes; Isabel, won’t you go and get it? Of course, she needs it now. If we had only known your address,” she added, graciously, turning to Brownie, “we might have forwarded them to you.”
Isabel arose to do her mother’s bidding, and she whispered to her as she did so:
“You must manage some way to get Sir Charles out of the room, and keep him out.”
Isabel turned to go, and got as far as the door, when she looked back at Adrian and his wife, and said, with a slight blush:
“As long as this is a business call to mamma, may I beg you to excuse Sir Charles and me? I assure you we are very busy at present.”
They bowed coldly, and then turning to her lover, she said:
“Sir Charles, may I speak with you privately?”
He arose and followed her from the room with a perplexed brow. He did not exactly like being called from guests in this way.
“What does all this mean?” he demanded, when they were alone in the hall.