Ida coughed, and Collis suddenly realised that almost everybody at the surrounding tables was staring at them. He released Delphine and busily went around the table to pull out a chair for Mrs Spooner, who thanked him in her lisping, flustered voice as if he had done something quite wonderful for her. Then he pulled out Delphine’s chair, and she sat down with a quiet ‘Thank you, Mr Edmonds’ that left him breathless. He knew this was all quite ridiculous, being made to feel so stimulated by a demure little financier’s daughter from Second Avenue, particularly when his mother, of all people, had arranged for them to meet. But when he saw the dark curls which lay on the nape of Delphine’s neck, and the curve of her ears with their pearl pendant earrings, he decided, a little wryly perhaps, but without any hesitation, that none of those objections was enough to dampen his interest in her.

‘What a chance, meeting you here,’ said Winifred, as Collis resumed his chair. ‘We were shopping for birthday presents for the twins. So tiresome of them to be born in the summer, when shopping’s so hot and exhausting.’

Ida said, ‘That was scarcely their fault, Winifred. Makepeace was born on the Fourth of July, and I gather he was quite advanced in years before he discovered the fireworks and the celebrations weren’t all for him. But you know what egotists men are.’

All the time she was speaking, Ida was keeping her eyes fixed on Collis and Delphine. Delphine had her eyes lowered still, but Collis, with his elbow on the table and his chin resting on his upturned hand, was staring at her, completely spellbound.

‘You must try the black-currant ice,’ Collis said. ‘It’s very good. They make it with black-currant leaves. It has a very musky flavour.’

‘Yes,’ said Delphine, ‘I do believe I’ve already tasted it.’

The waiter came to take their order, and huffed and puffed, as if he were mortally offended that they should invite two more people to sit at their table without begging his permission. Winifred asked for tea, and Delphine for a lemon sherbet. Collis kept his gaze on Delphine, and still she sat, straight and self-assured, with her eyes modestly averted.

‘It’s very surprising to me that we haven’t been introduced before,’ said Collis. ‘I believe that I saw you once at a party on East Seventeenth Street, but that was quite some time ago.’

Delphine looked up. ‘There really hasn’t been any reason for us to be introduced,’ she said. ‘We move, as I understand it, in quite different circles.’