After dinner, Mrs. Almar, knowing that her innings were over, very
effectively prevented Christine having hers, by insisting on playing
bridge. She had an excellent head for cards, and always needed money.
Christine allowed herself to be drawn in, supposing that Riatt would be
one of the players, and found herself seated opposite to Hickson and next
to Jack Ussher.

Wickham, feeling very much left out and desirous of showing how well
accustomed he was to the casual manners of polite society, consoled
himself with an evening paper. Laura Ussher led Riatt to a comfortable
corner out of earshot of the bridge-table.

"Now do tell me, Max," she said, "what you think of them all."

"I think, my dear Laura," he answered, "that they are a very playful band
of cut-throats, and next time you ask me to stay, I hope you and Jack
will be entirely alone."

* * * * *

The servants in a household like the Usshers' were subjected to almost
every strain, except that of early rising. No one dreamed of coming down
stairs before eleven, and most people not until lunch time.

The next morning Riatt was among the first--that is to say he was up
early enough not to be able to escape a tour of inspection of the place
under the guidance of his host. He had seen the stables and the new
garage, and the sheet of snow beneath which lay the garden, and the other
totally different sheet of snow beneath which was the soil in which
Ussher intended next summer to plant a rose garden. He had gone over,