his fingers; he was vaguely dissatisfied with his friend. But since, for Gardiner's sake, he could not tell her all, he told her nothing. Half-truths were no good with Lettice. "By the by, why didn't you come?" he said. "I was expectin' you all the time. I couldn't think where you'd got to. You as good as promised to turn up!"

"Were you very disappointed?"

"No. No, I can't say I was--not altogether. I want you to meet Harry, but I didn't want you this time. Queer chap he is--you may think you know a man, but you never do."

Lettice's eyebrows moved upwards ever so little. "How do you mean queer?"

"Oh, I don't know. He has all sorts of cranks. Last time he was at Bredon, that cold spell when all the pipes were burstin', nothing would do but he must sleep out in the garden all the time. And it was just the same at Grasmere, though it rained cats and dogs. You can't be even with his fads," Denis added with a sigh, extending himself in his chair, his long legs stretched half across the hearth. "He's off almost at once to that place in the Ardennes I was tellin' you about. I've promised to run over there next summer. I wish you'd come too, Lettice, as you didn't bring it off this time.""You _said_ you didn't want me," murmured Lettice reproachfully. "I didn't want you when things were all beastly. But I do want you to meet Harry. I want your opinion of him." To this Lettice made no reply. She set a few slow, neat stitches in the cloth she was embroidering. "Whereabouts is it, this place in the Ardennes?" "Near Bouillon. You can get there for next to nothing, if that's what you're thinkin' of, but I wish you'd let me take you. I did rather well over that deal this morning and I'm rollin'. After all, you're as good as my sister. You might just as well." Lettice did not thank him; that was taken for granted. They understood each other so well that words were often superfluous. "If it's not very expensive I might manage it myself," she said. "My old man in Harley Street says I've got to take a holiday, so I suppose I must go somewhere, just to satisfy him. And I should rather like to see the Ardennes." "Have you been to the doctor again? Why didn't you tell me before, Lettice? What does he say?" "He says," said Lettice with inimitable unction, "that I am in a state of thorough nervous exhaustion, and ought to take six months' rest. So." "Then I hope you're going to do it!" Lettice smiled. She did not look particularly docile. Denis was beguiled into lecturing her about her health, though he knew it was time wasted--nay, rather, time misspent. For Miss Smith was like a 

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