“I think they would,” answered Miss Alicia with her usual delicacy. “I thought I gathered from Lady Mallowe that, as she was to be in the neighborhood, she would like to see you and Temple Barholm, which she greatly admires.” “If you'll tell me what to do, I'll get her here to stay awhile,” he said, “and Lady Joan with her. You'd have to show me how to write to ask them; but perhaps you'd write yourself.” “They will be at Asshawe Holt next week,” said Miss Alicia, “and we could go and call on them together. We might write to them in London before they leave.” “We'll do it,” answered Tembarom. His manner was that of a practical young man attacking matter-of-fact detail. “From what I hear, Lady Joan would satisfy even Ann. They say she's the best-looker on the slate. If I see her every day I shall have seen the blue-ribbon winner. Then if she's here, perhaps others of her sort'll come, too; and they'll have to see me whether they like it or not--and I shall see them. Good Lord!” he added seriously, “I'd let 'em swarm all over me and bite me all summer if it would fix Ann.” He stood up, with his hands thrust deep in his pockets, and looked down at the floor. “I wish she knew T. T. like T. T. knows himself,” he said. It was quite wistful. It was so wistful and so boyish that Miss Alicia was thrilled as he often thrilled her. “She ought to be a very happy girl,” she exclaimed. “She's going to be,” he answered, “sure as you're alive. But whatever she does, is right, and this is as right as everything else. So it just goes.” They wrote their letters at once, and sent them off by the afternoon post. The letter Miss Alicia composed, and which Tembarom copied, he read and reread, with visions of Jim Bowles and Julius looking over his shoulder. If they picked it up on Broadway, with his name signed to it, and read it, they'd throw a fit over it, laughing. But he supposed she knew what you ought to write. It had not, indeed, the masculine touch. When Lady Mallowe read it, she laughed several times. She knew quite well that he had not known what to say, and, allowing Miss Alicia to instruct him, had followed her instructions to the letter. But she did not show the letter to Joan, who was difficult enough to manage without being given such material to comment upon. The letters had just been sent to the post when a visitor was announced--Captain Palliser. Tembarom remembered the name, and recalled also certain points connected with him. He was the one who was a promoter of schemes--“One of the smooth, clever ones that get up companies,” Little Ann had said. That in a well-bred and not too pronounced way he looked smooth and clever might be admitted. His effect was that of height, finished slenderness of build, and extremely well-cut garments. He was no longer young, and he had smooth, thin hair and a languidly observant gray eye.