“A coincidence--a coincidence!” he muttered. “Yes, one of those coincidences that are carefully arranged for. He never would have told her the story but for the fact of his hearing that I knew all about it. It would have been a coincidence if he had told her the story without knowing who she was.” He resumed his pacing of the room for some minutes longer, but then, with an impatient word, he extinguished the lights. “Psha!” he said. “What does it amount to after all? Not much, only I never thought it possible that all that old business would ever be revived. I fancied that it was dead and buried long ago. It’s a pity--a great pity. Yes, that’s what I think now. But...” He remained for a minute or two in the dark, but whatever his thoughts were he did not utter them. He went silently upstairs to his room. ***** When Amber saw Josephine a couple of days later and asked her to drop in to lunch on the following Friday, Josephine said she would be delighted; but when Amber mentioned immediately afterwards, that Pierce Winwood would probably be the only stranger of the party she was rather surprised to notice a little flush upon Josephine’s face followed by a little drawing down of the corners of her mouth, and the airiest shadow of a frown--perhaps a pout. “Did you say Friday?” Josephine asked in a tone that suggested a vocal sequence to the tiny frown that might have been a pout. “Yes, I said Friday and you said you would come. Don’t try to make out now that you misunderstood me,” cried Amber. “I’m not going to try. Only----” “Only what? Why should you dislike meeting Mr. Winwood? Did you expect me to ask Guy Overton or Mr. Richmond--or was it Arthur you had set your heart on? Didn’t you find Mr. Win-wood entertaining?” “Entertaining? Entertaining?” Josephine looked at her strangely for a few moments and then gave a laugh. “Entertaining?” she said again. “I really never gave a thought to the question as to whether he was entertaining or the reverse. The men who entertain one are not always the people one wants to meet again. I think that there’s hardly any one so dull as the man who tries to be entertaining.” “Then what have you against Mr. Winwood?” asked Amber. “Did I say that I had somewhat against him?” cried Josephine quickly and with quite unnecessary vehemence. “Now, don’t say that I suggested to you that I disliked this Mr. Winwood. I was only--only surprised. Why should you ask me to meet him again? There was no need for me ever to meet him again. People come together at dinner or at a dance and separate and--and--that’s all right. Why shouldn’t this Mr. Winwood be allowed to drift away after this comfortable and accommodating manner?”