The question came so suddenly, so unexpectedly, and apparently so irrelevantly, that Nell was almost startled. "No," she replied. "A gentleman went with her." The earl laid down his knife and fork suddenly, then picked them up again, and made a great fuss with the remains of his cutlet. "Oh! Did you--er--did you hear who it was?" "Yes," said Nell, "but I can't remember his name. It has quite gone for the moment;" and she knit her brows. The earl stared straight at the epergne. "Was it--Sir Archie Walbrooke?" he said, in a dry, expressionless voice. Nell laughed, as one laughs at the sudden return of a treacherous memory. "Of course, yes! That was the name," she said brightly. "How stupid of me!" But Lord Wolfer did not laugh. He bent still lower over the cutlet, and worried the bone a minute or two in silence; then he consulted his watch, and rose. "I beg you will excuse me," he said. "I have an appointment--a meeting----" He mumbled himself out of the room, and Nell sat and gazed at the door which had closed behind him. She was too innocent, too ignorant of the world, to have even the faintest idea of the trouble which lowered over the house which she had entered; but a vague dread of something intangible took possession of her. CHAPTER XXI. If Nell wanted work that would prevent her dwelling upon her heart's loss, she had certainly found it at Egerton House. Before a week had passed she had slipped into her position of presiding genius; and, marvelous to relate, seeing how young and inexperienced she was, she filled it very well. At first she was considerably worried by the condition of domestic affairs. Meals were prepared for persons who might or might not be present to eat them. Sometimes she would sit down alone to a lunch sufficient for half a dozen persons; at others, Lady Wolfer would come down at the last moment and say: "Oh, Nell, dear"--it had very quickly come to "Nell"--"ever so many women are coming to lunch--nine or ten, I forget which. I ought to have told you, oughtn't I? And I really meant to, but somehow it slipped out of my head. And they are mostly people with good appetites. Is there anything in the house? But, there! I know you will manage somehow, won't you, dear?" And Nell would summon the long-suffering Mrs. Hubbard, and additions would hastily be made to the small menu, and Nell would come in looking as cool and composed as if the guests had run no risk of starvation. The dinner hour, as Lady Wolfer had said, was eight, but it was often nine or half-past before she and Lord Wolfer put in an appearance; and more than once during the week the earl had been accompanied by persons whom he had brought from the House or some meeting, and expected to have them provided for.