"Give me a match," said Peter thoughtfully. "Maybe you are right,
Larry," he added presently. "I only wanted to point out another way of
looking at it. I stand absolutely by your decision. You think that this
girl is wrong-headed and obstinate, and that her father has a moral
right to have her, over age or not. This--discovery makes it a pretty
serious business, but of course you've thought of all that. But--will it
be possible now?"

"I have invited her," said Varney, with a light laugh, "to lunch on the
_Cypriani_ on Thursday with two or three other Hunston friends."

"Well?"

"She accepted with every mark of pleasure. Great men like Stanhope, it
seems, require no introduction: it beats me. The point now is to find
the other Hunston friends."

"Hare and his sister, Mrs. Marne--the very thing!--chaperon and all!
I'll invite them to-night. Then the whole thing's done!" Peter sat
silent a moment, looking at Varney. "I've been awfully rushed to-day,"
he resumed, "because if I was going to help Hare at all, I didn't dare
lose this one big opportunity. But remember, anything that has to be
done from now on--I'm your man."

"There'll be nothing more now until Thursday. The thing's practically
done."

Peter was still looking at him steadily. "It's going to be dirt easy,
provided we don't weaken. You can't do things to your friends, but you