“Miss Oscar is dealing with most of them. Mr. Isaacstein wants to know if you can dine with him at the Savoy to-morrow.” “Tell Miss Oscar to look in my engagement-book. If I’m not engaged, she can ring up and accept.” “Yes, sir.” “By the way, Eversleigh, you might ring up a number for me now. Look it up in the book. Mrs. Revel, 487, Pont Street.” “Yes, sir.” Bill seized the telephone-book, ran an unseeing eye down a column of M’s, shut the book with a bang and moved to the instrument on the desk. With his hand upon it, he paused, as though in sudden recollection. “Oh, I say, sir, I’ve just remembered. Her line’s out of order. Mrs. Revel’s, I mean. I was trying to ring her up just now.” George Lomax frowned. “Annoying,” he said, “distinctly annoying.” He tapped the table undecidedly. “If it’s anything important, sir, perhaps I might go round there now in a taxi. She’s sure to be in at this time in the morning.” George Lomax hesitated, pondering the matter. Bill waited expectantly, poised for instant flight, should the reply be favourable. “Perhaps that would be the best plan,” said Lomax at last. “Very well, then, take a taxi there, and ask Mrs. Revel if she will be at home this afternoon at four o’clock as I am very anxious to see her about an important matter.” “Right, sir.” Bill seized his hat and departed. Ten minutes later, a taxi deposited him at 487, Pont Street. He rang the bell and executed a loud rat-tat on the knocker. The door was opened by a grave functionary to whom Bill nodded with the ease of long acquaintance. “Morning, Chilvers, Mrs. Revel in?” “I believe, sir, that she is just going out.” “Is that you, Bill?” called a voice over the banisters. “I thought I recognized that muscular knock. Come up and talk to me.” Bill looked up at the face that was laughing down on him, and which was always inclined to reduce him—and not him alone—to a state of babbling incoherency. He took the stairs two at a time and clasped Virginia Revel’s out-stretched hands tightly in his. “Hullo, Virginia!” “Hullo, Bill!” Charm is a very peculiar thing; hundreds of young women, some of them more beautiful than Virginia Revel, might have said “Hullo, Bill,” with exactly the same intonation, and yet have produced no effect whatever. But those two simple words, uttered by Virginia, had the most intoxicating effect upon Bill.