‘Good God!’ exclaimed Sir Herbert and let his eyeglass fall.

‘You see, darling,’ began his wife in a hurry, ‘it just won’t come down to less. Even with Arthur’s house. And if we have champagne at the buffet—’

‘I cannot see the smallest necessity for champagne at the buffet, Evelyn. If these young cubs can’t get enough to drink in the supper-room all I can say is, they drink a great deal too much. I must say,’ continued Sir Herbert with an air of discovery, ‘that I do not understand the mentality of modern youths. Gambling too much, drinking too much, no object in life—look at that young Potter.’

‘If you mean Donald Potter,’ said Bridget dangerously, ‘I must—’

‘Bridgie!’ said her mother.

‘You’re wandering from the point, Bridget,’ said her stepfather.

‘Me!’

‘My point is,’ said Sir Herbert with a martyred glance at his wife, ‘that the young people expect a great deal too much nowadays. Champagne at every table—’

‘It’s not that—’ began Bridget from the door.

‘It’s only that it saves—’ interrupted her mother.

‘However,’ continued Sir Herbert with an air of patient courtesy, ‘if you feel that you can afford to spend a thousand pounds on an evening, my dear—’

‘But it isn’t all Donna’s money,’ objected Bridget. ‘It’s half mine. Daddy left—’

‘Bridget, darling,’ said Lady Carrados, ‘breakfast.’

‘Sorry, Donna,’ said Bridget. ‘All right.’ She went out.

Miss Harris wondered if she too had better go, but nobody seemed to remember she was in the room and she did not quite like to remind them of her presence by making a move. Lady Carrados with an odd mixture of nervousness and determination was talking rapidly.

‘I know Paddy would have meant some of Bridgie’s money to be used for her coming out, Herbert. It isn’t as if—’

‘My dear,’ said Sir Herbert with an ineffable air of tactful reproach, and a glance at Miss Harris. ‘Of course. It’s entirely for you and Bridget to decide. Naturally. I wouldn’t dream of interfering. I’m just rather an old fool and like to give any help I can. Don’t pay any attention.’

Lady Carrados was saved the necessity of making any reply to this embarrassing speech by the entrance of the maid.

‘Lord Robert Gospell has called, m’lady, and wonders if—’

‘’Morning, Evelyn,’ said an extraordinarily high-pitched voice outside the door. ‘I’ve come up. Do let me in.’

‘Bunchy!’ cried Lady Carrados in delight. ‘How lovely! Come in!’

And Lord Robert. Gospell, panting a little under the burden of an enormous bunch of daffodils, toddled into the room.

On the same day that Lord Robert Gospell called on Lady Carrados, Lady Carrados herself called on Sir Daniel Davidson in his consulting-rooms in Harley Street. She talked to him for a long time and at the end of half an hour sat staring rather desperately across the desk into his large black eyes.

‘I’m frightfully anxious, naturally, that Bridgie shouldn’t get the idea that there’s anything the matter with me,’ she said.