willingly captive to Debussy. He looked about the house from his stall,
and very soon caught sight of Lady Mansford, Lady Sophia's sister-in-law,
in a box on the Grand Tier. Malling knew Lady Mansford. He resolved to
pay her a visit, and as soon as the curtain was down, and Tetrazzini had
tripped before it, smiling not unlike a good-natured child, he made his
way upstairs, and asked the attendant to tap at a door on which was
printed, "The Earl of Mansford." The man did so, and opened the door,
showing a domestic scene highly creditable to the much maligned British
aristocracy--Lord Mansford seated alone with his wife, in evidently
amicable conversation.

After a few polite words he made Malling sit down beside her, and, saying
he would have a cigarette in the foyer, he left them together.

Lady Mansford was a pretty, dark woman, of the slightly irresponsible
and little-bird type. She willingly turned her charmingly dressed head
and chirped when noticed, and she was generally noticed because of her
beauty. Now she chirped of Ceylon, where Malling had been, and then, more
vivaciously, of Parisian milliners, where she had been. From these allied
subjects Malling led her on to a slightly different topic--religion.

"I went to St. Joseph's last Sunday week," he presently said.

"St. who--what?" said Lady Mansford, who was busy with her
opera-glasses, and had just noticed that Lady Sindon, a bird-like
rival of hers, had changed the color of her hair, fortunately to
her--Lady Sindon's--disadvantage.

"To St. Joseph's, to hear your brother-in-law preach."