"As a law-abiding citizen, I think it's my duty to warn the police," I said.
"Oh, you mustn't! You'll get Sam into a frightful row."
"That I don't mind if Webster spends a night in the cells. Sonia, he's a dreadful young man. Where did you find him?"
"He's a friend of Sir Adolf's. He's rather a sport, really, and enormously rich."
"He was richer a week ago."
"You mean before the breach of promise case? I suppose so. Honestly, if Fatty proposed to me, I should slap his face, but if he had the presumption to back out of it—my word!"
"He's too much like the domestic pig," I objected.
"Oh, he's quite harmless and very useful. He cadged me an invitation for the Embassy Ball. Are you going?"
"I've been invited," I said.
There the subject dropped, for I had promised to go with O'Rane and was not sure how he would take the news that Sonia also was to be present. Still in the enigmatic mood, he shrugged his shoulders and informed me that his acceptance had gone forth, and he proposed to abide by it. I raised no further objection as the ball promised to be amusing. It was a limited liability entertainment, floated by a number of diplomatic underlings, and, as some difficulty was experienced in securing invitations, there was an orgy of subterfuge, intrigue and bribery on the part of aspirants. One of the Russian attachés confided to me that he could have lunched and dined in four different places every day after the announcement was made in the Press and stayed in six several houses for Goodwood. There was considerable overlapping, and, if some received no invitations, others received many. O'Rane, who had known more Ambassadors before he was five than most men meet in a lifetime, had cards sent him from three Embassies and four Legations. It is perhaps superfluous to mention that of these the Austrian was not one.