Utterly unnerved... I had thought it better to send Arthur off to his club for dinner. To my mind, it is inconceivable that a father should be jealous of his own son, but I can think of no other way to explain my husband's persistent attitude of disparagement whenever a united front is most necessary. "A policy of pin-pricks" was the phrase that my boy once coined for it. We are, I hope, a devoted family, but Arthur seems _never_ to lose an opportunity of indulging in a sneer... Yet I wish we had had him with us that night. In a crisis I am only too well aware that I am always left to find a way out, but that night I felt hardly adequate even to ordinary conversation; and, when this Sir Appleton began to shew the cloven hoof, I knew that only a man could deal with him. We were taken utterly off our guard. He came into the room, shook hands with me, bowed to Will, waited until Norden was out of the room and then said: "There's a lady downstairs who wants to see one of you for a moment. She was on the doorstep, when I arrived, and your servants didn't want to admit her. I gathered, however, that she'd been waiting for some time, so I made them let her in." _Made_... In the school in which I was brought up, the bare idea of giving orders to other people's servants... I do not know whether you have been forced into contact with the world of "business men ", but I find their autocracy sometimes a little trying. "A lady to see me?," I said. "Really, this is _not_ a reasonable time for calling." "I fancy it was your son, Lady Ann, that she asked for," said Sir Appleton. "Oh, I can't be bothered to see people at this hour of the night," said Will. When Norden came in to announce dinner, I told him to explain that neither Will nor I could possibly desert our guest to talk to this girl at such a time... "Oh, don't mind me," said Sir Appleton. "But I do!," I said. "And I mind about dinner." "I should be disposed to see her," said he. "Perhaps she's in trouble." "It'll keep till to-morrow," said Will. There was nothing so very heartless either in the words or in the tone, but for some reason Sir Appleton chose to take offence. "That's not a very sympathetic line to take with some one who may be in great distress," he said. "For all you know, she's some girl friend of yours who's stranded in London without money. If you'll allow me to say so, Lady Ann, I think one of you should see her. It need not take more than a moment." I fancied that I knew better... "Norden can find out what the matter is while we're at dinner," I said. "You'll agree that it is not a very reasonable hour for calling." "Which is what makes me think that her business is urgent," said Sir Appleton. "If you don't want to be bothered, will you allow _me_ to interview her? If it's only a five-pound note she wants because she's lost her purse..."