Woolf had his own reasons for surmising why she had done so, but he was not going to give them. "I should like you to drop that friendship," he said vindictively. "Drop Lexie? Me? You’re joking!" "I’m not." Maggy very seldom argued with Woolf. Her subjugation was nearly complete, but she still had some spirit left. She showed it now. "I gave up living with Lexie to come to you," she reminded him. "Do you regret it?" "I don’t, but I probably shall. Anyway, instead of turning up her nose at me she’s behaved like a darling. I couldn’t go back on her. Why, I—I’d rather have drowned Mrs. Slightly’s kittens with my own hands than been so mean as that!" "Well, you needn’t lunch with her at Mrs. Lambert’s. You might meet Lord Chalfont there." "It’s not in the least likely. But what would it matter if I did?" "I don’t like him." "I thought you said you didn’t know him?" "I’ve never spoken to the bounder, if that’s what you mean," said Woolf testily. "I don’t understand you. You generally don’t care what I do or where I go when I’m not with you. When I see Lexie again I shall tell her you’re huffy with her." Now Alexandra had not deliberately meant to cut Woolf. She would not have done so out of consideration to Maggy; but as she had only seen his reflection in one of the shop mirrors she did not consider it necessary to turn round and bow to him. Besides, she knew he was the sort of man Mrs. Lambert would not care about, and it was quite likely that if she had acknowledged him he would have presumed on her good nature. "What a lovely girl!" Mrs. Lambert said, when they were in the street. "She’s a joy to look at. Who was the man who joined her? I seem to know his face. He looked Jewish." "His name is Woolf." "I wonder if he’s the person who is exploiting Primus cars. He owns some racehorses too, and a sporting paper." "It’s the same," said Alexandra. "Lord Chalfont knows more about him than I do. He had him turned out of his club. It’s an exclusive one, and some thoughtless young fellow had brought him in. I don’t think he’s very nice, dear. What a pity he knows your friend." Alexandra hesitated. She guessed that Mrs. Lambert had asked Maggy out of consideration to herself. But if she knew that Woolf and Maggy were intimate perhaps she would wish to rescind that invitation. Alexandra did not want to be disloyal to Maggy, nor yet to let Mrs. Lambert be deceived about her. "Maggy thinks a lot of him," she hesitated. "I don’t want to talk about her because she is my friend, but—" Mrs. Lambert laid her hand on Alexandra’s for a moment. "The majority of us have got a ’but’ in our lives," she said in a curious tone, and then added with apparent irrelevance, "Did I tell you that Lord Chalfont will be staying with us on tour?" XVIII