She stared out at the sunny landscape with hard, dissatisfied eyes, and the bitterness in her voice increased as she continued: "I took up this kind of thing--touring and playing--because I thought I might find it brighter. It seemed so at first... the lights, and the people, and the noisy excitement of constant moving, constant change. Now I find that too unutterably dull. The tawdry dresses,--the limelight,--the sea of white faces, staring, always staring,--cold, unsympathetic, scarcely interested even. I hate them. I hate playing those ridiculous airs on timeless, indifferent pianos. I want something... I don't know... I'm a fool to say all this. I hope you didn't invite me to drive with you in the belief that you would find me an amusing companion?" "I invited you to drive with me," he answered candidly, "because I wanted to talk to you on the subject which you, yourself, started. I am very anxious, for Mrs Arnott's sake, as well as in your own interest, to put a stop to a scandal which is none the less harmful because I believe it to be a tissue of falsehoods. Since you have heard the scandal, I am spared the unpleasant task of paining you further by repeating it. If you choose, I believe you can help me in stopping the thing. Will you tell me, if you can, where Mr Arnott is to be got at?" "How should I know?" she asked, flushing. "I thought you might know," he answered, unconvinced by her words of her ignorance as to Arnott's whereabouts. "He was in Johannesburg when you were there. I could have settled this matter then, had I known of it. But I've only just heard the talk. I want to see him. He ought to be informed of the report that is going about, which his own indiscretion is mainly responsible for. I think, if he knew, he would see the wisdom of putting an end to it." "I don't," she replied unexpectedly. "I don't think it would make the least impression on him." "Oh, come!" he said, surprised. "What grounds have you for supposing that?" She glanced at the chauffeur's impassive back, and from it into Dare's curious, perplexed face. "Do you think this quite the place for discussing these matters?" she asked. Dare was obliged to admit the reasonableness of her remonstrance. Although they had spoken in lowered voices, they could not be positive that no part of their talk reached the driver's ears. "We'll have tea somewhere," he said. "Then we will drive out into the country where we can get out and walk." He leaned forward and gave the chauffeur his directions. When he turned to the girl again he was conscious of a new reserve which betrayed itself in her manner. She raised no objection to his arrangements; but a marked constraint showed in her speech. She fell back more and more upon silence and left the talking to Dare. CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.