But Evie had slipped out of the room. We sat down to supper. I found Archie insufferable. He made the whole running with an ignorant egotism that caused my fingers to itch to box his ears. More than once he contradicted Miss Angela flatly, instantly trying to redeem the grossness by laughing loudly and crying, "Excuse my frankness--no offence--only Archie's way!" He made so familiar both with Kitty and myself that, out of mere hostility to him, I came very near to an alliance with her. Evie, I saw, was miserable. How much she knew about his habits I could only guess; I think that already she knew more than a little; but his had been the fortune to reveal her to herself, and I am not sure whether that ever wholly dies. I think it has since died as much as ever it can. "But," Miss Angela said by-and-by, seeking to quieten him, "I've forgotten to ask you how your father is. Better, I hope?" "The pater? Oh, he's all right; it's only a bilious attack. Afraid he got poisoned with some _foie gras_ he ate--jolly good tack _I_ call it--I'll have some more, please. And what's that you've got to drink there, Evie?" Evie poured him out some lemonade. He looked at it, but made no remark on it. "Here's your _foie gras_--have some cress with it," said Miss Angela. And so we fêted his lordship. After supper there were nuts and almonds, which we ate sitting round the fire. I say "we," but Archie had what was left afterwards. With a "Half-a-mo," he had gone out, and I myself thought our party much pleasanter without him. But as he remained away, Miss Angela had no choice but to say presently: "What _can_ have become of our young man? I wonder if you'd mind fetching him, Mr Jeffries!" I went, and found him. He had picked up, on the stairs or in the hall, a Japanese with whom he had contracted some sort of acquaintance, and I heard his call as I passed the half-open door of the dining-room. "Here--Jeff!" he called. "Hold on--I sha'n't be a minute--come and let me introduce you to Mr Shoto--Mr Shoto, Mr Jeffries." I distrust that too affable little race from the other side of the world, and I gave Mr Shoto the most perfunctory of nods. Archie was having a very golden whisky and soda with him. "Come along--you oughtn't to clear off like this," I said curtly. "Miss Soames is asking for you." "All right--good old Angela--just a minute till I finish this. We were talking about Japan, or rather Mr Shoto was. Tell him that about the Yoshiwara, Shoto." But that cunning little alien had evidently summed me up already, and had a different choice of subject for me.