Surprise held the Tyro's tongue in leash for the moment. Then he came to. Here was another unexpected lady evidently relying upon that tricky memory of his. Very well: this time it should not betray him!
"How do you do?" he said, seizing her hand and shaking it warmly. "I'm so glad to see you again."
She withdrew the captured member indignantly. "Again? Where have you ever seen me before?" she demanded.
"Just what I was trying to think," murmured the Tyro. "Where have I seen you?"
The colorful lady lifted her glasses and her nose at one and the same moment. "I am Mrs. Denyse," she informed him. "Mrs. Charlton Denyse. You may know the name."
"I may," admitted the Tyro, unfavorably impressed by the manner in which she was lorgnetting him, "but I don't at the moment recall it."
Exasperation flashed in Mrs. Denyse's cold eyes. She had spent much time and trouble and no small amount of money advertising that name socially in New York, and to find it unknown was a reflection upon the intelligence of her investment. "Where on earth do you come from, then?" she inquired acidly.
"Oh, all over the place," he answered with a vague gesture. "Mainly the West."
