"The shorts will be caught," thought Cheever. "The devil! I must cover." "Has he lied to her?" said Mrs. Kildair to herself. "If everything is all right, why should he conceal it from any one?" She went across the room, stopping at the punch-table. "Have you everything you need?" she asked. "Everything, thank you," Majendie answered gently; but there was in his voice a tired note, as if some effort had suddenly exhausted him. "I understood what you meant," she said, looking at him not without a little pity—an emotion which was rare with her. "Let me congratulate you on the result of this afternoon." "Thank you very much for your congratulations," he said quietly, taking her hand. "If you knew, you will understand why I was kept so late." As he bowed, the front of his jacket opening a little, she saw or fancied she saw in the inner pocket a strip of green, slightly protruding. She left him, still unconvinced, and turned to the company. "Everything ready, Teddy? All right. Every one sit down. Mrs. Cheever and Mrs. Bloodgood are appointed butlers—because real work will do them good. Sit down, sit down. I’ll be back in a minute." As she turned to her bedroom, there came a strong ring, twice repeated. She paused, astonished. "Who can that be?" she thought, frowning, and directing her steps toward the antechamber. "No one is allowed to come up. It must be a telegram." She opened the door, and Slade entered. "I came right up," he said directly, "because I had no success on the telephone. You rather excited my curiosity this afternoon. Please invite me to your party." The first moment of irritation was succeeded, on her part, by the feeling of elation. The impulse that had brought Slade so unexpectedly there was a feeling of jealousy, in which Beecher and Majendie were confusedly mixed. "He wishes to watch me with his own eyes," she said triumphantly. "Very well; he shall be well punished." Slade’s arrival produced a moment of profound astonishment. Bloodgood and Maud Lille exchanged quick glances, believing the meeting between Majendie and Slade had been premeditated. Garraboy plucked Cheever nervously by the sleeve, while Majendie, as if realizing that he was dealing with an antagonist of a different caliber, rose with a little nervous inflation of the chest. Rapid as had been the interim in the antechamber, Mrs. Kildair had had time to say: "Majendie is here. Do you know what happened this afternoon?" "I do," said Slade, with malicious enjoyment, and he added: "Do you?" "Yes," she replied, convinced, likewise, of the falsity of his statement. Then aloud she added: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Slade, an impromptu guest."