"I said she was frightfully kind, but that I was quite well-posted—everything was O.K., and she needn’t alarm herself.... And she said, ’Oh! if you’ve arranged things with Franky, jolly sensible of him! Too often a man who is open and liberal-minded before marriage develops gerontocracie afterwards, don’t you know? ...’ And I told her that you were the very reverse of narrow-minded—and she kissed me and wished me happiness, and went away. And the maid knocked later on to say Mrs. Stannus sent her apologies for having forgotten to leave her little gift. And the little gift was, Jollikins. And my special pals joined in to stand me a farewell dinner, and they drowned my enamel Club badge in a bowl of Maraschino punch, and fished it up and gave me this diamond and enamel one, mounted as a tie-brooch, instead. And every married woman brought me a mascot.... I had Gojo from Joan Delabrand, and Ti-Ti from Cynthia Charterhouse, and the jade tree-frog from Patrine Saxham, and the carved African bean from Rhona Helvellyn, and——" Franky objected: "Neither Patrine Saxham nor Rhona Helvellyn happen to be married women!" "Perhaps not; but Patrine is an Advanced Thinker, and Rhona Helvellyn is a Militant Suffragist." Franky commented: "As for Suffragists, that Club of yours is stiff with ’em. Gassing about their Cause.... I loathe the noisy crowd!" "Then you loathe me! I share their convictions!" Margot proclaimed. "I hold the faith that Woman’s Day will dawn with the passing of the Bill that gives us the Vote...." "My best child, you wouldn’t know what to do with the Vote if you had it." Margot retorted: "I cannot expect my husband to treat me as a reasonable being while the State classes his wife with infants and imbeciles." It will be seen that a very pretty squabble was on the point of developing. Fortunately, at this juncture a valet of the chambers knocked at the door to say that a waiter from the restaurant begged to know whether Milord and Miladi would take lunch _à la carte_, or prefer something special in their own apartments? "Tell him no!" wailed Miladi, to the unconcealed consternation of Milord, who had a healthy appetite. "Must keep up your pecker—never say die!" Franky, stimulated by the pangs of hunger, developed an unsuspected talent for diplomacy. "Look here! We must talk over things quietly and calmly. I’ll order a taxi, and we’ll chuff to that jolly little restaurant in the Bois de Boulogne—where you can grub in the open air under a rose-pergola—and order something special and odd——" Since Eve’s day, this lure has never failed to catch a woman. Margot began to dry her eyes. Then she asked Franky to ring. "Three times, please.... That’s for Pauline; I want another handkerchief."