Cecil saw she must acquiesce, for Mrs. Tallboys was full in the midst. With an infinitely better grace than her hostess, she yielded herself to the sports, bowed charmingly to the Peri, whirled like a fairy at the whistling, and was rewarded with a little enamel padlock as a brooch, and two keys as ear-rings; indeed she professed, with evident sincerity, that she was delighted with these sports of the old country, and thought the two genies exquisite specimens of the fair, useless, gentle English male aristocracy. Mrs. Duncombe, too, accepted the inevitable with considerable spirit and good-humour, though she had a little passage-at-arms with Julius; when showing him the ivory card-case that had fallen to her lot, she said, "So this is the bribe! Society stops the mouth of truth." "That is as you choose to take it," he said. "Exactly. When we want to go deep into eternal verities you silence us with frivolous din and dainty playthings for fear of losing your slaves." "I don't grant that." "Then why hinder an earnest discussion by all this hubbub?" "Because this was not the right place or time." "It never is the right time for the tyrants to let their slaves confer, or to hear home-truths." "On the contrary, my curiosity is excited. I want to hear Mrs. Tallboys' views." "Then when will you dine with us? Next Wednesday?" "Thank you. Wednesday has an evening service." "Ah! I told you it was never the right time! Then Thursday? And you'll trust your wife with us?" "Oh yes, certainly." "It is a bargain, then? Seven o'clock, or there will be no time." Julius's attention suddenly wandered. Was not a whisper pervading the room of a railway accident? Was not Frank due by that night's train? There were still so many eager to visit the magic cave, that Julius trusted his wife would remain there sheltered from the report; Jenny Bowater was behind a stand of trees, acting orchestra; but when Terry came to the outskirts of the forest in search of other knights of the whistle, Julius laid a hand on him, and gave instructions in case any rumour should reach Rosamond to let her know how vague it was, tell her that he was going to ascertain the truth, and beg her to keep up the game and cause no alarm. Next encountering Anne, he begged her to go to his mother and guard her from any alarm, until there was some certainty. "Can't we send all these people away?" she asked. "Not yet. We had better make no unnecessary disturbance. There will be time enough if anything be amiss. I am going down to Hazlitt's Gate."