"But I'm afraid if you won't try to divorce him that he can claim some," Macheson said. "Then he must come and take it by force," she declared. There was silence between them. Then she rose to her feet and came and stood before him. "I ought to have told you all this long ago," she said simply. "To-day I felt that I must tell you without another hour's delay. Now that you know, I am not so terrified. But you must promise to come and see me every day while that brute remains in London." "Yes! I promise that," he answered, also rising to his feet. They heard her maid moving about in the bedroom. "Hortense is reminding me that I must dress for dinner," she remarked with a faint smile. "One must dine, you know, even in the midst of tragedies." Macheson prepared to take his departure. "I shall come to-morrow," he said, "if you do not send for me before." CHAPTER XIV BEHIND THE PALM TREES Lady Peggy was fussing round the drawing-room, talking to all her guests at once. "I haven't the least idea who takes anybody in," she declared. "James said he'd see to that, so you might just as well put your hand in a lucky-bag. And I'm not at all sure that you'll get any dinner. I've got a new _chef_--drives up in a high dogcart with such a sweet little groom. He may be all right. Jules, the maître d'hôtel at Claridge's, got him for me, and, Wilhelmina, sooner than come out like a ghost, I'd really take lessons in the use of the rouge-pot. My new maid's a perfect treasure at it. No one can ever tell whether my colour's natural or not. I don't mind telling you people it generally isn't. But anyhow, it isn't daubed on like Lady Sydney's--makes her look for all the world like one of 'ces dames,' doesn't it? I'm sure I'd be afraid to be seen speaking to her if I were a man. Gilbert," she broke off, addressing Deyes, who was just being ushered in, "how dare you come to dinner without being asked? I'm sure I have not asked you. Don't say I did, now. You refused me eight times running, and I crossed you off my list." Deyes held out a card as he bowed over his hostess's fingers. "My dear lady," he said, "here is the proof that I am not an intruder. I am down to take in our hostess of Thorpe!"