"Monty!" Jack cried, with a sincerity of joy which warmed my heart. As for his wife, she cried not at all, but merely gasped. "What luck for me!" I exclaimed, shaking both Molly's hands so hard that it was fortunate (as she remarked afterwards) that she had on "only her rainy-day rings." "I did hope to hear of you at Grenoble, but scarcely dared think of actually meeting you, even there. In two minutes more I should have been on the way to catch my train." "Here's your train, old man," said Jack, indicating the throbbing automobile. "My one true love, Mercédès," I remarked, looking fondly at the car. "Sh!" whispered Molly, with an odd little sound which was like a giggle strangled at birth. "She's there." "Who?" I started, bewildered. "Mercédès." "I know; the darling! I long to have my hands on her again." "Oh, Lord Lane, do be careful! You don't understand. I mean the real Mercédès. The girl who gave me the car. She's sitting there. She'll hear you." "It's all right," said Jack. "The motor's making such a row, she wouldn't catch the words." "She joined us h--lately," explained Molly hurriedly. "I remember now. You used to talk rather a lot about her and want us to meet." "Well, you have your wish now, dearie," Jack chimed in. "You can introduce them with your own fair hand." "Wait--wait." Molly whispered piteously, as Jack would have taken a step forward, and pulled me with him, a peculiarly dare-devil look in his handsome eyes. "For _goodness'_ sake, Jack!" Her voice restrained him, and again we were in conclave. "You see, Lord Lane, it's rather awkward. We want you to go on with us, immensely, but----" "You're awfully good," I hastily cut in. "But I quite see, and I couldn't think of----" "Oh, please, that isn't what I meant. Now, will you and Jack both be quite quiet, like angels, and let me talk for a while, till I make everything clear to everybody, about everybody else. Don't grin. I know I'm not beginning well, but the beginning's the difficult part. We wrote to you, Lord Lane, to Grenoble, saying we would be arriving about as soon as you got the letter. We didn't know whether we could tear you away from your mule or not; but anyhow, we should have seen each other and got each other's news. Then this friend of mine joined us unexpectedly; at least, we thought we might meet her, but we weren't at all sure she would want to travel with us. However, here she is, and she's a perfect dear; and next to Jack and Dad I love her better than anybody else in the world. Besides, she gave me the car; and you know I told you how ill she had been, and how she was travelling for her health. Altogether we have to consider her before anyone; and I want to know, Lord Lane, if you'll think me a regular little beast if I speak to her first, before we arrange anything?"