"Oh, only Lord Fillingford and Lady Sarah, the Wares, the Rector, the Aspenicks, and one or two more." "H'm. My roses are good enough for that lot, but I'm not, eh?" Jenny's hand was forced; Chat had undermined her position. Not even for the sake of policy did she love to do an unhandsome thing--still less to be found out in doing one. To use the roses and slight the donor would not be handsome. She knew Aspenick's objection to meeting Octon, but probably she thought that she could keep Aspenick in order. "I had no idea you'd care about it. I thought you liked coming quietly better. I like it so much better when I can have you to myself." No use now! His prickles were out; he would not be cajoled. "So I may as a rule--but it's rather marked when you never ask me to meet anyone." "I shall be delighted to see you at dinner to-morrow," said Jenny. "Will you come?" "Yes, I will come--I hope I know how to behave myself, don't I?" "Oh, yes, you know well enough," she answered, delicately emphasizing the difference between knowledge and practice. "All right, I shall expect you." "I know the meaning of it. That little Aspenick minx and her fool of a husband are trying to get me boycotted--that's it." Jenny, as her wont was, tried to smooth him down, but with little success. He went off early, still very sulky, and growling about the Aspenicks. For what it is worth, there was no doubt that they were now busy leaders in the cabal against him, and he knew it. "It won't be very pleasant, but we must carry it off with brave faces," said Jenny, referring to the next day's dinner. She looked vexed, though, at this crossing of her arrangements. Probably the dinner would have passed off tolerably, if not comfortably--for Aspenick was a gentleman, and even Octon might feel that he ought to be on his good behavior--when his temper recovered. But unluckily his temper had not recovered by eleven o'clock the following morning, and it was then that the lamentable thing happened.