"I refused sweetly, but as he persisted I let him have my address.

"Of course, we kept our own counsel as to the earlier episodes of
the evening. Lord Pabham never advertised the loss of his hyaena;
when a strictly fruit-eating animal strayed from his park a year
or two previously he was called upon to give compensation in
eleven cases of sheep-worrying and practically to re-stock his
neighbours' poultry-yards, and an escaped hyaena would have
mounted up to something on the scale of a Government grant. The
gipsies were equally unobtrusive over their missing offspring; I
don't suppose in large encampments they really know to a child or
two how many they've got."

The Baroness paused reflectively, and then continued:

"There was a sequel to the adventure, though. I got through the
post a charming little diamond brooch, with the name Esmé set in a
sprig of rosemary. Incidentally, too, I lost the friendship of
Constance Broddle. You see, when I sold the brooch I quite
properly refused to give her any share of the proceeds. I pointed
out that the Esmé part of the affair was my own invention, and the
hyaena part of it belonged to Lord Pabham, if it really was his
hyaena, of which, of course, I've no proof."




THE MATCH-MAKER