During the rest of luncheon she exerted herself to keep the conversation general, Max seconding her efforts as though unconscious of her desire to avoid him. In fact, he seemed wholly unaware of any change in her demeanour, and Olga noted the fact with relief, the while she determined to exclude him rigidly for the future from anything even remotely approaching to intimacy. Watch as they might, the shrewd green eyes should never again catch her off her guard. CHAPTER VIII THE ELASTIC BOND Major Hunt-Goring was quite obviously in his element. To Olga's dismay he showed no disposition to depart when they rose from the luncheon-table. Violet suggested a move to the garden, and he fell in with the proposal with a readiness that plainly showed that he had every intention of inflicting his company upon them for some time longer. "It's confoundedly lonely up at The Warren," he remarked pathetically, as he lounged after her into the sunshine. Violet laughed over her shoulder, an unlighted cigarette between her teeth. "You're hardly ever there." "No. Well, it's a fact. I can't stand it. I'm a sociable sort of chap, you know. I like society." "Why don't you marry?" laughed Violet. "That's a question to which I can find no answer," he declared. "Why--why, indeed!" "Hateful man!" murmured Olga, looking after them. "How I wish he would go!" "Leave them alone for a spell," advised Max. "Go and mend your stockings in peace! Miss Campion is quite equal to entertaining him unassisted." But Olga hesitated to pursue this course, and finally collected her work and followed her two guests into the garden. Max departed upon his rounds, and a very unpleasant sense of responsibility descended upon her. She took up a central position under the lime-trees that bordered the tennis-court, but Major Hunt-Goring and Violet did not join her. They sauntered about the garden-paths just out of earshot, and several times it seemed to Olga that they were talking confidentially together. She wondered impatiently how Violet could endure the man at such close quarters. But then there were many things that Violet liked that she found quite unbearable. Slowly the afternoon wore away. The young hostess still sat under the limes, severely darning, but Violet and her companion had disappeared unobtrusively into a more secluded part of the garden. For nearly half an hour she had heard no sound of voices. She wondered if she ought to go in search of them, but her pile of work was still somewhat formidable and she was both to leave it. She continued to darn therefore with unflagging energy, till suddenly a hand touched her shoulder and a man's voice spoke softly in her ear. "Hullo, little one! All alone? What has become of the fiery-headed assistant?" She flung his hand away with a violent gesture. So engrossed had she been with getting through her work that she had not heard his step upon the grass.