"Where is he, then?"

"I shall not tell you."

"But didn't he walk with you?"

"I shall not tell, Rickie. It's part of your punishment. You are
not really sorry yet. I shall punish you again later."

She was quite right. Rickie was not as much upset as he ought to
have been. He was sorry that he had forgotten, and that he had
caused his visitors inconvenience. But he did not feel profoundly
degraded, as a young man should who has acted discourteously to a
young lady. Had he acted discourteously to his bedmaker or his
gyp, he would have minded just as much, which was not polite of
him.

"First, I'll go and get food. Do sit down and rest. Oh, let me
introduce--"

Ansell was now the sole remnant of the discussion party. He still
stood on the hearthrug with a burnt match in his hand. Miss
Pembroke's arrival had never disturbed him.

"Let me introduce Mr. Ansell--Miss Pembroke."

There came an awful moment--a moment when he almost regretted
that he had a clever friend. Ansell remained absolutely
motionless, moving neither hand nor head. Such behaviour is so