"None," was the weary reply.

"Any amount of news here, Mummy," Nora intervened cheerfully, "and
heaps of excitement. We had a Zeppelin over Dutchman's Common last
night, and she lost her observation car. Mr. Somerfield took me
up there this afternoon, and I found a German hat. No one else got
a thing, and, would you believe it, those children over there tried
to take it away from me."

Her stepmother smiled faintly.

"I expect you are keeping the hat, dear," she observed.

"I should say so!" Nora assented.

Philippa held out her hand to the two young men who had been waiting
to take their leave.

"You must come and dine one night this week, both of you," she said.
"My husband will be home by the later train this evening, and I'm
sure he will be glad to have you."

"Very kind of you, Lady Cranston, we shall be delighted," Harrison
declared.

"Rather!" his companion echoed.

Nora led them away, and Helen, with a word of excuse, followed them.
Griffiths, who had also risen to his feet, came a little nearer to
Philippa's chair.