"My dear fellow, I have this moment left the club."

Dr. Chetwynd put his latch-key into the lock and ushered his friend
upstairs to his wife's pretty drawing-room.

But Bella was not there; and finding that she was not in her bedroom,
or in fact in the house at all, he rang the bell and questioned the
maid as to when her mistress had gone out and if she knew when she
would be likely to return.

"No, sir, that I'm sure I don't. My mistress never said anything to
me."

"Well, she is not likely to be away long," remarked the doctor
philosophically. "Have a cigar, Meynell."

"Thanks, no. Your wife spoils you, Jack, if she allows you to smoke
in her pretty little room."

"Oh, she will not mind; but we will go down to my den shortly. You
see, Meynell, I'm a bit of a Bohemian, although I like to preserve
the customs of the civilised world all the same, to a certain extent.
But my little wife--well--she--she--I daresay you may have heard she
was on the stage before I married her."

"No, indeed I hadn't." Gus Meynell looked a good deal surprised.

"Well, I mention it because perhaps she is not quite like the
ordinary run of women."