Katharine came across directly, towards Ruth Van De Water, and greeted her affectionately. John came forward a little, waiting to be noticed and to shake hands in his turn. Katharine prolonged the first exchange of words with her young hostess rather unnecessarily, and then, since she could not avoid the meeting, held out her hand to John, looking straight and coldly into his eyes. “You’re to take Miss Lauderdale in, you know, Mr. Ralston,” said Miss Van De Water, who knew that dinner would be announced almost immediately, and that Katharine would wish to speak to the other guests before sitting down. “Yes--I found my card,” answered John, as Katharine withdrew her hand without having given his the slightest pressure. It was a strange meeting, considering that they had been man and wife since the previous morning, and could hardly be said to have met since they had parted after the wedding. Katharine, who was cold and angry, wondered what all those young people would say if she suddenly announced to them, at table, that John Ralston was her husband. But just then she had no definite intention of ever announcing the fact at all. John only partly understood, for he was sure that she must have received his letter. But what he saw was enough to convince him that she had not in the least believed what he had written, and had not meant to answer him. He was pale and haggard already, but during the few minutes that followed, while Katharine moved about the room, greeting her friends, the strong lines deepened about his mouth and the shadows under his eyes grew perceptibly darker. A few minutes later the wide doors were thrown back and dinner was announced. Without hesitation he went to Katharine’s side, and waited while she finished speaking with young Mrs. Vanbrugh, his right arm slightly raised as he silently offered it. Katharine deliberately finished her sentence, nodded and smiled to Dolly Vanbrugh, who was a friend of hers, and had been in some way concerned in the famous Darche affair three or four years ago, as Mrs. Darche’s intimate and confidante. Then she allowed her expression to harden again, and she laid her hand on John’s arm and they all moved in to dinner. “I’m sorry,” said John, in a low, cold voice. “I suppose they couldn’t upset their table.” Katharine said nothing, but looked straight before her as they traversed one beautiful room after another, going through the great house to the dining-room at the back. “You got my letter, I suppose,” said John, speaking again as they crossed the threshold of the last door but one, and came in sight of the table, gleaming in the distance under soft lights. Katharine made a slight inclination of the head by way of answer, but still said nothing. John thought that she moved her hand, as though she would have liked to withdraw it from his arm, and he, for his part, would gladly have let it go at that moment.