He muttered some excuse and was off. With beating heart he searched the crowds. Nowhere. Nowhere. He searched the fast-emptying ballroom, then the hall; then, with tears in his eyes and a choked, strangling in his throat, was turning back, when he caught sight of the diamond star high above the other heads, and the lovely soft black hair and the jolly smile. “Traitor!” she said. “You forgot, after all.” “No, I didn’t forget. It was my sister.” But there was no time for explanation. “Did you go with someone else to supper?” “Yes; I’ve had supper.” “Oh!” He half turned away. A tear was near its fall. “I suppose you couldn’t——” “Yes, I could.” She twirled him round. “I can have any number of suppers. I can have supper all day and supper all night. Come along. You shall take me down in style. I put my arm through yours like that—see? No, the right. Now we lead the way. Who’s coming down to supper?” His pride and his happiness! Who shall describe them? His back was so straight as they walked down the stairs that he almost fell backwards. The supper-room was a clatter of noise, but he was not so proud but that he was suddenly hungry—wildly, savagely hungry. She piled his plate with things, watching him, laughing at him. “Nobody’s cut the cake yet,” she cried. “You shall cut it, Jeremy!” An old stout servant with white hair, who had been watching her with smiling eyes, brought a huge castle, with towers and battlements and flags, and placed it in front of her. She made Jeremy stand on his chair. She gave him a great knife and showed him where to cut. Everyone at the other tables stopped eating and turned round to see. Then they shouted and clapped. “One, two, three!” he cried, and cut into the cake. Then they all cheered. “Bravo,” she said. “You did that very well. Now Janet will cut the rest. You must have a piece and I must have a piece. Perhaps one of us will get the ring or the thimble.” And, miracle of miracles, he got the ring, the silver ring! She put it on his finger herself. He flushed, his lip trembled. He felt that he wanted everything to end just then, at that moment—for nothing more ever to happen again. When he had had three ices, one after the other, she decided that supper was over. They walked out of the room as they had walked into it, in stately fashion, her arm through his. Then at the top of the stairs there was Mrs. Carstairs. “Come, Jeremy dear,” she said. “It’s time to go home. The carriage is there.” He saw that the tall major was also there. “Hullo, young ’un,” he said. “Had a good supper?” He nodded his head. But he had eyes only for her. “I’m glad I got that ring,” he whispered, “because you put it on my finger. And I’ll never take it off till I die.” “Not even when you wash?” she asked, laughing. “I won’t wash that finger,” he said. The major put his hand on his shoulder.