CHAPTER VI


The two ladies advanced towards each other across the lawn, while
Meadows followed his wife in speechless confusion and annoyance, utterly
at a loss how to extricate either himself or Doris; compelled, indeed,
to leave it all to her. Sir Luke and the Under-Secretary had paused in
the drive. Their looks as they watched Lady Dunstable's progress showed
that they guessed at something dramatic in the little scene.

Nothing could apparently have been more unequal than the two chief
actors in it. Lady Dunstable, with the battlements of "the great
fortified post" rising behind her, tall and wiry of figure, her black
hawk's eyes fixed upon her visitor, might have stood for all her class;
for those too powerful and prosperous Barbarians who have ruled and
enjoyed England so long. Doris, small and slight, in a blue cotton coat
and skirt, dusty from long travelling, and a childish garden hat, came
hesitatingly over the grass, with colour which came and went.

"How do you do, Mrs. Meadows! This is indeed an unexpected pleasure! I
must quarrel with your husband for not giving us warning."

Doris's complexion had settled into a bright pink as she shook hands
with Lady Dunstable. But she spoke quite composedly.

"My husband knew nothing about it, Lady Dunstable. My letter does not
seem to have reached him."

"Ah? Our posts are very bad, no doubt; though generally, I must say,
they arrive very punctually. Well, so you were tired of London?--you