Acrimony was added to Daphne’s view of Eileen by Claude Bellairs, who looked at her as if he admired her. Claude as a rule looked at Daphne herself like that; Daphne didn’t want him to, thinking it silly, but it was rather much to have his admiration transferred to this Mrs. Le Moine. Certainly anyone might have admired Eileen; Daphne grudgingly admitted that, as she watched her. Eileen’s manner of accepting attentions was as lazy and casual as Daphne’s own, and considerably less provocative; she couldn’t be said to encourage them. Only there was a charm about her, a drawing-power.... “_I_ don’t think it’s nice, a married person letting men hang round her,” said Daphne, who was rather vulgar. Molly, who was refined, coloured all over her round, sensitive face. “Daffy! How can you? Of course it’s all right.” “Well, Claude would be flirting in no time if she let him.” “But of course she wouldn’t. How could she?” Molly was dreadfully shocked. Daphne gave her cynical, one-sided smile. “Easily, I should think. Only probably she doesn’t think him worth while.” “Daffy, I think it’s horrible to talk like that. I do wish you wouldn’t.” “All right. Come on and have a go down the hill, then.” The Bellairs’ came to dinner that evening. Molly was a little subdued, and with her usual flow of childish high spirits not quite so spontaneous as usual. She sat between Eddy and the Dean, and was rather quiet with both of them. The Dean took in Eileen, and on her other side was Nevill Bellairs, who, having deduced in the afternoon that she was partly Irish, very naturally mentioned the Home Rule Bill, which he had been spending last session largely in voting against. Being Irish, Mrs. Le Moine presumably felt strongly on this subject, which he introduced with the complacency of one who had been fighting in her cause. She listened to him with her half railing, inscrutable smile, until Eddy said across the table, “Mrs. Le Moine’s a Home Ruler, Nevill; look out,” and Nevill stopped abruptly in full flow and said, “You’re not!” and pretended not to mind, and to be only disconcerted for himself, but was really indignant with her for being such a thing, and a little with Eddy for not having warned him. It dried up his best conversation, as one couldn’t talk politics to a Home Ruler. He wondered was she a Papist, too. So he talked about hunting in Ireland, and found she knew nothing of hunting there or indeed anywhere. Then he tried London, but found that the London she knew was different from his, except externally, and you can’t talk for ever about streets and buildings, especially if you do not frequent the same eating-places. From different eating-places the world is viewed from different angles; few things are a more significant test of a person’s point of view.