The Seraph shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't ask me to read the future," he said with a sigh.
At the end of the ball I found the Roden boys congratulating themselves on the success of the evening. I added my quota of praise, and was pressed to state if I now felt equal to three successive nights at Commemoration.
"Which reminds me!" Robin exclaimed, flying off at his usual tangent. "Where's Sylvia? Sylvia, my angel, what about Commem.?"
His sister looked tired but happy, and in some way excited.
"I'll come if you want me," she answered, putting her arm round Robin's neck and kissing him good-night. "Yes, all right—I will. Oh, Mr. Rawnsley told me this morning that Mavis wouldn't be able to come, so you must get another girl."
Robin dropped his voice confidentially.
"See if you can persuade Cynthia to come. And we're still a man short."
Sylvia looked slowly round the room with thoughtful, unsmiling eyes—past Culling, past Gartside....
"Will you come, Seraph?" she asked.