They both were laughing now--he with apparent pleasure in her coquetry and animation, she still a little confused and instinctively on her guard. Rita came strolling over, a tiny cigarette balanced between her slender fingers: "Stop flirting, José," she said; "it's too near dinner time. Valerie, child, I'm dining with the unspeakable John again. It's a horrid habit. Can't you prescribe for me? José, what are you doing this evening?" "Penance," he said; "I'm dining with my family." "Penance," she repeated with a singular look--"well--that's one way of regarding the pleasure of having any family to dine with--isn't it, Valerie?" "José didn't mean it that way." Rita blew a ring from her cigarette's glimmering end. "Will you be at home this evening, Valerie?" "Y-yes ... rather late." "Too late to see me?" "No, you dear girl. Come at eleven, anyway. And if I'm a little late you'll forgive me, won't you?" "No, I won't," said Rita, crossly. "You and I are business women, anyway, and eleven is too late for week days. I'll wait until I can see you, sometime--" "Was it anything important, dear?" "Not to me." Querida rose, took his leave of Valerie and Rita, went over and made his adieux to his host and the others. When he had gone Rita, standing alone with Valerie beside the tea table, said in a low voice: "Don't do it, Valerie!" "Do--what?" asked the girl in astonishment. "Fall in love." [Illustration: "Ogilvy stood looking sentimentally at the two young girls."] Valerie laughed. "Do you mean with Querida?" "No." "Then--what _do_ you mean?" "You're on the edge of doing it, child. It isn't wise. It won't do for us.... I know--I _know_, Valerie, more than you know about--love. Listen to me. Don't! Go away--go somewhere; drop everything and go, if you've any sense left. I'll go with you if you will let me.... I'll do anything for you, dear. Only listen to me before it's too late; keep your self-control; keep your mind clear on this one thing, that love is of no use to us--no good to us. And if you think you suspect its presence in your neighbourhood, get away from it; pick up your skirts and run, Valerie.... You've plenty of time to come back and wonder what you ever could have seen in the man to make you believe you could fall in love with him." Ogilvy, strolling up, stood looking sentimentally at the two young girls. "A--perfect--pair--of precious--priceless--peaches," he said; "I'd love to be a Turk with an Oriental smirk and an ornamental dirk, and a tendency to shirk when the others go to work; for the workers I can't bear 'em and I'd rather run a harem--" "No doubt," said Rita, coldly; "so you need not explain to me the rather lively young lady I met in the corridor looking for studio number ten--" "Rita! Zuleika! Star of my soul! Jewel of my turban! Do you entertain suspicions--" "Oh, _you_ probably did the entertaining--"