"The most valued product of your country," Lutchester murmured, "is more dangerous to our hearts than to our heads." She made a little grimace and turned away, holding out her hand to a new arrival--a tall, broad-shouldered man, with a strong, cold face and keen, grey eyes, aggressive even behind his gold-rimmed spectacles. There was a queer change in his face as his eyes met Pamela's. He seemed suddenly to become more human. His pleasure at seeing her was certainly more than the usual transatlantic politeness. "Mr. Fischer," she exclaimed, "they are saying hard things about our country! Please protect me." He bowed over her fingers. Then he looked up. His tone was impressive. "If I thought that you needed protection, Miss Van Teyl--" "Well, I can assure you that I do," she interrupted, laughing. "You know my friends, don't you?" "I think I have that pleasure," the American replied, shaking hands with Lutchester and Holderness. "Now we'll get an independent opinion," the former observed, pointing to the wall. "We were discussing that notice, Mr. Fischer. You're almost as much a Londoner as a New Yorker. What do you think?--is it superfluous or not?" Fischer read it out and smiled. "Well," he admitted, "in America we don't lay much store by that sort of thing, but I don't know as we're very good judges about what goes on over here. I shouldn't call this place, anyway, a hotbed of intrigue. Excuse me!" He moved off to greet some incoming guests--a well-known stockbroker and his partner. Lutchester looked after him curiously. "Is Mr. Fischer one of your typical millionaires, Miss Van Teyl?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "We have no typical millionaires," she assured him. "They come from all classes and all States." "Fischer is a Westerner, isn't he?" Pamela nodded, but did not pursue the conversation. Her eyes were fixed upon a girl who had just entered, and who was looking a little doubtfully around, a girl plainly but smartly dressed, with fluffy light hair, dark eyes, and a very pleasant expression. Pamela, who was critical of her own sex, found the newcomer attractive. "Is that, by any chance, one of our missing guests, Captain Holderness?" she inquired, turning towards him. "I don't know why, but I have an idea that it is your sister." "By Jove, yes!" the young man assented, stepping forward. "Here we are, Molly, and at last you are going to meet Miss Van Teyl. I've bored Molly stiff, talking about you," he explained, as Pamela held out her hand.