"You may well say 'at last'!" he grumbled. Then the satisfaction completely
swamping the resentment, he went on eagerly: "Sit down and tell me why I've
been deprived of your company for the whole of this blessed day."

Ann Lovell sat down obediently.

"You've been deprived of my society," she replied with composure, "by some
one who had a better right to it."

"Lady Susan, I suppose?"--in resigned tones.

She assented smilingly.

"Yes. A companion-chauffeuse isn't always at liberty to play about with the
scapegrace young men of her acquaintance, you know. And this morning my
employer was seized with a sudden desire to visit Aigle, so we drove over
and lunched at a quaint old inn there. We've only just returned."

As she spoke Ann stripped off her gloves, revealing a pair of slender hands
that hardly looked as though they would be competent to manipulate the
steering-wheel of a car. Yet there was more than one keen-eyed, red-tabbed
soldier whom she had driven during the war who could testify to the
complete efficiency of those same slim members.

"I'm dying for some tea, Tony," she announced, tossing her gloves on to the
table. "Let's go in and choose cakes."

Tony nodded, and they dived into the interior of the shop, and, arming
themselves with a plate and fork each, proceeded to spear up such as most