Charmian had got up from her sofa, and was standing by the writing-table, which was in an angle of the room on the right of the window. As Alston went out, her eyes fell on an envelope lying by itself a little apart from the letters with which the table was strewn. Scarcely thinking about what she was doing she stretched out her hand. Her intention was to put the envelope with its fellows. But when she took it up she saw that it had not been opened and contained a letter, or note, addressed to Claude. "Why, here's a letter for you, Claudie!" she said, giving it to him. "Is there? Another autograph hunter, I suppose." Without glancing at the writing he tore the envelope, took out a letter, and began to read it. "It's from Mrs. Shiffney!" he said. "She arrived to-day on the same ship as Gillier." "I knew she would come!" cried Charmian. "Though they all pretended she was going to winter at Cap Martin." "And she's brought Susan Fleet with her." "Susan!" "But read what she says. It seems to have all been quite unexpected, a sudden caprice." "You poor thing!" said Charmian, looking at him with pitiful eyes. "When will you begin to understand?" "What?" "Us." Claude sent a glance so keen that it was almost like a dart at Charmian. But she did not see it for she was reading the letter. "THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL, _Friday._ "DEAR MR. HEATH,--I've just arrived with Susan Fleet on the _Philadelphia_. I heard such reports of the excitement over your opera out here that I suddenly felt I must run over. After all you told me about it at Constantine I'm naturally interested. Do be nice and let me into a rehearsal. I never take sides in questions of art, and though of course I'm a friend of the Senniers, I'm really praying for you to have a triumph. Surely the sky has room for two stars. What nonsense all this Press got-up rivalry is. Don't believe a word you see in the papers about Henriette and your libretto. She knows nothing whatever about it, of course. Such rubbish! Susan is pining to see her beloved Charmian. Can't you both lunch with us at Sherry's to-morrow at one o'clock? Love to Charmian.--Yours very sincerely, ADELAIDE SHIFFNEY." "Well?" said Claude, as Charmian sat without speaking, after she had finished the letter. "Shall we go to Sherry's to-morrow?" He spoke as if he were testing her, but she did not seem to notice it. "Yes, Claudie, I think we will." She looked at him. "What are you thinking?" she asked quickly. "Do you still believe Mrs. Shiffney tricked me at Constantine?" "I know she did." "And yet--" She interrupted him. "We are in the arena!" "Ah--I understand." "If we go to Sherry's, and Mrs. Shiffney speaks about coming to a rehearsal, what do you mean to do?" "What do you think about it?"