"Believe me,
"Yours gratefully and affectionately,
"JOAN MEREDYTH."

There was a subdued excitement about Lady Linden during the Thursday and
the Friday, and an irritating air of secretiveness.

"Foolish, foolish young people! Both so good and so worthy in their
way--the girl beautiful and clever, the man as fine and honest and
upright a young fellow as ever trod this earth--donkeys! Perhaps they
can't be driven--very often donkeys can't; but they can be led!"

To Hugh Alston, at Hurst Dormer, seven miles away, Lady Linden had
written.

"MY DEAR HUGH,

"I want you to come here Saturday; it is a matter of vital
importance." (She had a habit of underlining her words to give
them emphasis, and she underscored "vital" three times.) "I want
you to time your arrival for half-past five, a nice time for tea.
Don't be earlier, and don't be later. And, above all, don't fail
me, or I will never forgive you."

"I expect," Hugh thought, "that she is going to make a public
announcement of the engagement between Marjorie and Tom Arundel."

It was precisely at half-past five that Hugh stepped out of his
two-seater car and demanded admittance at the door of the Manor House.