"You must try and forget all that old story of the cheque," said Lady Betty recovering herself. "It is so long ago that everyone is prepared to be as nice to you as if it had never happened."
"H'm," grunted Calamity.
"You'll see," she went on hopefully. "I've got some people staying at the Towers, and Judge Pennyfeather—Lady Di——you remember her as a pert young flapper, I expect—the Bishop and some other people are dining with us to-night."
"Then the story of the forgery was not kept in the family," remarked Calamity icily. "All these people know it?"
"Well—yes," a little hesitatingly. "It was impossible to keep it secret; you know George had a valet——"
"A fitting epitaph," said Calamity grimly.
"What——" began Lady Betty, but was interrupted once more by McPhulach, who for some moments had been pulling at an empty pipe.
"I'm oot o' baccy," he said, again peering over the wind-screen. "Ye'll no be haein' a pooch on ye'r pairson, skeeper?"
Without a word Calamity passed him a tobacco pouch, while Lady Betty bit her lips with annoyance at this interruption of their tête-à-tête.
"I'm tell't that yon's ye'r ain hoose," said McPhulach, as he filled his pipe. "It's a gey braw place, an' I wouldna mind haein' it mesel'."