"Not yet," Francis replied. "Margaret will be here in a minute.
She told me to say that cocktails are here and that she has
ordered dinner served on the terrace."
"Excellent!" Sir Timothy murmured. "Let me try one of your
cigarettes."
"Everything ready for the great show to-morrow night?" Francis
asked, as he served the cocktails.
"Everything is in order. I wonder, really," Sir Timothy went on,
looking at Francis curiously, "what you expect to see?"
"I don't think we any of us have any definite idea," Francis
replied. "We have all, of course, made our guesses."
"You will probably be disappointed," Sir Timothy warned him.
"For some reason or other--perhaps I have encouraged the idea
--people look upon my parties as mysterious orgies where things
take place which may not be spoken of. They are right to some
extent. I break the law, without a doubt, but I break it, I am
afraid, in rather a disappointing fashion."
A limousine covered in dust raced in at the open gates and came
to a standstill with a grinding of brakes. Lady Cynthia stepped
lightly out and came across the lawn to them.
"I am hot and dusty and I was disagreeable," she confided, "but
the peace of this wonderful place, and the sight of that
beautiful silver thing have cheered me. May I have a cocktail
before I go up to change? I am a little late, I know," she went.
Pages:
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265