Good-bye now, dear Guardy. "Your loving "PENELOPE. "P. S. I am sure I am doing good!" Bob was very sure of it, too. "I say, Pen, old Guth will be lonely, won’t he? But he’s all right if he has a bally Catullus in his pocket, and he draws his screw just the same. Granny is very decent to him, take it all around. And I like him because he likes dogs. I must wire to Baker to hear how ’Captain’ is getting on. I called him Captain because old Goby gave him to me. I say, Pen, don’t you think Smith is a ripping good driver? He says that he’ll be my chauffeur when I’m a duke, if you don’t want him. He says him and me’ll win every bally race. I’d like to do that. I begin to think horse-racing is rot. You see three or four people can’t ride a race-horse, and the responsibility of driving you fast when the road’s crooked is the fun. Every time I miss a cart, Pen, I feel as happy as if I’d hit Rhodes for four every time he sent a ball down to me. That would be fun. Baker says—no, I mean Smith says that all other sports are rot of the worst kind. He says if he’s ever rich, he’ll go through the city every day as fast as he can. He hates the police, and some of them hate him. He rode over a sergeant in the Kingston Road once, but he didn’t hurt him much. When shall we leave this castle and go to another one? I hope the next is a long way off. Smith says he wants a good road to show what she’ll do when she’s out to the last notch. And it must be down-hill." And in town, while Pen was going about the country, people’s tongues ran as fast as any motorcar. "It is nonsense," said one; "she’s married already." "I know she’s not. I paid a shilling and looked it up at Somerset House." "That’s nothing," said a barrister. "They could have been married under wrong names." "That wouldn’t be legal." "Yes, it would. It’s only illegal if a false name is used and one of the parties doesn’t know. Then the one who is deceived can get a declaration of nullity," said the barrister. "Oh, well, but who is it?" "It’s no one. I don’t believe she’ll marry at all." "She’s a crank." "It’s madness. I hear the Duchess of Goring has taken to her bed." "Well, Goring hasn’t. I saw him at the Frivolity." "Who is it now?" "I don’t know her name. But where’s Lady Penelope?" No one knew but Bradstock, and even Augustin was behind by a post or two. None of the "horde" knew, and they began to get suspicious of each other. Goby watched De Vere, and De Vere kept his eye on Goby. It was obvious from the newspapers that Bramber was in the House. Gordon was seen at his Club. And then Carteret Williams was missing. Carew hunted for him in vain at the Press Club and at the office of the _Morning Hour_. There was no war yet, though there were rumours of it in the Balkans as usual. It got about that she had married Williams, though he had only run away from Carew for a week.