Because of the pronounced scent of spirits, she drew away when he came too near; Jim Langham instantly became more deferential. By the luck that often comes to beginners, Gertie presently made five, potting the red and effecting a cannon; she beamed with the delight of success. Spot white was left in the centre of the table, and Langham, obtaining the long rest, explained the manner of using it. In doing so, he placed his hand upon her neck; the next moment he was on his knees conducting an active search under the table. Gertie, flushed with annoyance, went towards the door. Before she reached it, a knock came; the door was rattled impatiently. "Open it from your side," ordered the high-pitched voice of Lady Douglass. "The key is not here," answered Gertie. "It must be there. Why is the door locked?" "How should I know?" retorted the girl sharply. "You don't suppose I locked it, do you?" She heard Lady Douglass call for the useful Rutley; and when the butler came, there was a consultation outside. The door creaked, the lock gave way; Rutley, falling in with the door, just escaped collision with the perturbed girl. He was told to go. "What does this mean?" demanded Lady Douglass. "Why are you in the billiard-room alone, Miss Higham?" "I'm not alone. Your brother is here." "That scarcely improves the look of affairs.--Jim, where are you?" The gentleman, half emerging, made a mumbled, indistinct request for matches. Gertie, walking to the end of the room, found a box. "There's your set of teeth," she pointed out, "just by the corner leg. It half frightened me when I saw I'd knocked the whole lot out." "This is a serious matter," said Lady Douglass judicially. "The great thing will be to keep it from the knowledge of Henry." "I'm not ashamed of my part in it!" She turned indignantly upon the red-faced man; his mouth was again furnished with the productions of the dentist, but he scowled in an alarming way. "What did you mean by it? Was this a dodge of yours, or of hers?" "I simply, and by the merest chance," he complained to his sister, "happened to touch her near the shoulder, and you saw for yourself how she treated me. I shall go off and get a drink, and leave you both to clear it up as best you can. Serves her right!" He repeated this remark several times, with additions, as he stamped out of the room. "My brother," said Lady Douglass, "is peculiar in his manners." "I haven't met his sort before." "But I wonder you did not know better than to trust yourself with him. Fortunately, you can rely upon me to say nothing about the affair. It would have been very unlucky if someone else had happened to come to the door." "I don't particularly like being under any sort of obligation to you." "We won't say anything more about it," ordered the other. "I have an enormous objection to a scandal." "You're not alone in that respect," she retorted. "And we will of course avoid all references to Wormwood Scrubbs."