She knew that she was late, but she was conscious of blamelessness. There had been a difficult customer who couldn’t be left, and who, properly handled, had bought two outrageously dear hats. She was, in fact, very proud of being a business woman who couldn’t help being late. She had expected that the family would be at dinner, for she couldn’t quite believe that they would wait for her. She didn’t expect anything more than decent tolerance; she didn’t in the least resent the trace of condescension in Mrs. Russell’s manner. She couldn’t fool Mrs. Russell with conservative Scottish grandparents or an old-fashioned mother. Mrs. Russell _knew_. There was no light in the dining-room, so she went up on to the piazza, and looked into the library window, for there was a blaze of light coming from there. And there they all were, sitting about a table, playing cards. Unconsciously, involuntarily, her eyes sought and rested upon Vincent first of all. He sat in profile toward her, just the same as ever, handsome, bold, with his look of vigour and zest. All that had happened was nothing but an episode to him; hadn’t even ruffled him. She couldn’t bear to look at him any more. Opposite him sat the doctor; facing the window, Mrs. Russell, and, with his back to Angelica, a strange young man in a tweed suit very much too big for him. Wasn’t it a suit Vincent used to wear? "Now who’s that?" she wondered. Suddenly Mrs. Russell flung down her cards with a slap. "Oh, you chump!" she cried. "It’s no use. You’ll never be any good!" An aggrieved voice, which Angelica recognized at once, answered: "Well, what of it? I never said I wanted to play, did I? You said I had to learn, to make it four. Well, then, I can’t, and that’s all there is to it!" "Courtland in there, playing cards with them!" thought Angelica. "What would Eddie say?" The doctor got up and stretched. "What of dinner, Marian?" he asked his wife airily. "I’ll see," she said, and went briskly out of the room. Angelica rang the bell, and Courtland came to admit her. "Hello!" he said. "What do _you_ want?" She repressed the too ready answer that was at the tip of her tongue, and said, with dignity: "Mrs. Russell expects me." "Well, she’s in the kitchen," said Courtland, in conversational tone. "She helps Annie now while----” "All right!" said Angelica. "I’ll go down." She had reached the dark passage at the foot of the kitchen stairs when a hand on her shoulder arrested her. "Angelica!" said Vincent’s voice. "What are you doing here? Go away! I’ll send you money--I swear I will! Only go away! You won’t get anything out of me by hounding me this way." "I didn’t come here to get money out of you. I don’t expect anything more from you." He couldn’t see her face, but her voice was steady and quiet. He grew yet more alarmed. "What did you come here for? What do you want?" "It’s none of your business," she said slowly.