"Di," said Mrs. Courtenay, as they drove away at last, after the usual half-hour's waiting for the carriage, the tedium of which Lord Hemsworth had exerted himself to relieve, "do you usually talk quite so much nonsense to Lord Hemsworth as you did to-night?" "Generally, granny. Yes, I think it was about the usual quantity. Sometimes it is rather more, a good deal more, when you are not there." Mrs. Courtenay was silent for a few minutes. "You are making a mistake, Di," she said at last. "How, granny?" "In your manner to Lord Hemsworth. You make yourself cheap to him. A woman should never do that!" Di did not answer. "When I was young," said Mrs. Courtenay, "I should have been proud to have been admired by a man of his stamp." "So should I," said Di, quietly, "if I did not like him so much." "You do like him, then?" "I do, and I mean to act on the square by him!" "I don't know what you mean." "Yes, you do, granny, perfectly! I have known him too long to alter my manner to him. I know him by heart. If I once begin to be serious and reserved with him, if I once fail to keep him at arm's length, which talking nonsense does, his feeling towards me, which only amuses him now, will become serious too. Lord Hemsworth is not so superficial as he seems. He would have been in earnest before now if I would have let him, and he is the kind of man who could be very much in earnest. I can't help his playing with edged tools, but I _can_ prevent his cutting himself." "My dear, he is in love with you now, and has been for the last six months." "Yes," said Di, "he is in a way; but he would be much worse if he had had encouragement." "And what do you call allowing him to talk to you for half an hour on the stairs, if it is not encouragement? You may be certain there was not a creature there who did not think you were encouraging him." "I don't mind what creatures think, as long as I don't _do_ the thing. And he knows well enough I don't!" "Why _not_ do it, if you like him?"