'Would you like a cup of tea, or coffee, while you're waiting?' '_Tea_? At three o'clock in the afternoon! I never heard of such a thing. You seem to have strangely Bohemian ideas in this house, Miss Yeo!' 'Do you think tea Bohemian? Well, coffee then?' Lady Cannon hesitated, but wishing for an excuse to wait, she said-- 'Thank you, if it isn't giving any trouble; perhaps I'll take a cup of coffee. I didn't have any after lunch.' 'Oh, yes, do. I'll go and order it at once.' Anne walked with slow, languid dignity to the door, and when she had shut it, flew like a hunted hare to the studio, where Cecil Reeve and Hyacinth were sitting together. 'Hyacinth,' she said sharply, 'run upstairs at once, put on your hat, go to the hall door and bang it, and come into the drawing-room. Lady Cannon's going to stop the whole afternoon. She's in an appalling temper.' 'She won't wait long,' exclaimed Hyacinth, 'surely?' 'Won't she? She's ordered coffee. She'll be smoking a cigarette before you know where you are.' 'Oh, I'll go,' said Cecil. 'Let me go.' 'Of course you must go,' said Anne. 'You can come back in an hour.' 'But, good heavens, Anne,' said Hyacinth, 'why on earth should we make a secret of Mr Reeve being here?' 'Why, because I said you were out.' 'Well, I'll go and explain,' said Hyacinth. 'Indeed you won't. You're not to go and give me away. Besides, I won't be baffled by that old cat. She's suspicious already. Out you go!' Cecil took his hat and stick, and went out of the front door. Anne ran upstairs, brought down Hyacinth's hat, veil, and gloves, and pushed her towards the drawing-room. 'Don't you see?--she'll think you've just come in,' said Anne. 'What about the coachman and footman?' 'Oh, good heavens, do you think they're going to call on her and tell her all about it?' Just as Hyacinth, laughing, was going into the drawing-room, Anne clutched her, and said-- 'I don't know that you'd better be at home after all! Charles will be calling directly. Oh, I forgot, he won't come in when he sees the carriage.' Anne relaxed her clasp and went to order coffee. Lady Cannon was looking angrily in the glass when Hyacinth came in. 'Oh, here you are, my dear. I'm glad I didn't miss you. I wanted to speak to you about something.' 'Yes, Auntie.' Lady Cannon coughed, and said rather portentously, 'You must not be offended with me, dear. You know, in a sense I'm, as it were, in the place of your mother--or, at any rate, your stepmother.' 'Yes.' 'Of course you're perfectly free to do exactly as you like, but I heard in a roundabout way something that rather surprised me about you.' 'What is it?' 'We were dining with some friends last night' (it was characteristic of Lady Cannon not to mention their names), 'where we happened to meet that young couple, the Ottleys. You know Mrs Ottley very well, I believe?' 'Edith is my greatest friend,' said Hyacinth.