"Well?" she said, with a half-mocking smile, while a great triumph swelled within her.
Lumsden laughed.
"Well, shall I tell you how Nancy found her fate—and I mine? But that is a stale story. I found mine long ago, but somehow I never quite realised it till——"
"Yes?"
"That day at Paddington."
"Ah! Well, Ted—I suppose I may call you Ted?—of course you must speak to Colonel Bladon. For myself, Nancy must always please herself, and her choice is mine. Now I can see how delightful the voyage must have been to you both. You are very clever, Ted."
He laughed happily.
"Is all the credit mine, Mrs. Bladon? I fancy not. Perhaps I may see Colonel Bladon and ask you for a cup of tea."
To Colonel Bladon the whole thing seemed inexplicable.
"You sent the child away from the fellow," he said, sleepily, after Lumsden had left, "and now that they have fallen into each other's arms you are delighted. The inconsistencies of woman! Their name is legion."