"Too clever, I think," said Nan. "He fills one with a desire to have
one's soul carefully fitted up with frosted glass windows."

Penelope laughed.

"What nonsense! I think he's a delightful person."

"Possibly. But, all the same, I think I'm frightened of people who
make me feel as if I'd no clothes on."

"Nan!"

"It's quite true. Your most dazzling get-up wouldn't make an atom of
difference to his opinion of the real 'you' underneath it all. Why,
one might just as well have no pretensions to good looks when talking
to a man like that! It's sheer waste of good material."

"Well, he's rather likely to want to get at the real 'you' of anybody
he meets," interpolated Barry. "He was badly taken in once. His wife
was one of the prettiest women I've ever struck--and she was an
absolute devil."

"He's a widower, then!" exclaimed Penelope.

Barry shook his head regretfully.

"No such luck! That's the skeleton in poor old Peter's cupboard.
Celia Mallory is very much alive and having as good a time as she can
squeeze out of India."