she?â
âSheâs a little fool.â
âSt. Inigoâs a member of The Soupçon. Youâll probably find them thereâif the committee hasnât kicked him out yet. I happen to know theyâre going to, because Mordaunt told me soâcanât hold his tongue to save his life, and he said St. Inigo had been making the place too hot to hold him. What on earthâs George March about to let the girl pick up with a fellow like that?â
âI gather that she picked up with him because George said she wasnât to.â
âGeorge is a damned fool,â said Frank Alderey with contempt.
Julie sat with her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. She wore a pale blue velvet wrap with fur on it. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes bright with excitement as she looked from Frank to David.
âLook here,â said Frank. âIâll get on to Mordaunt and say you want to look in at The Soupçon. Thatâll make it all right for you. When you get thereââ
David laughed a little harshly.
âWhen I get there! Well, what do I do then? As a matter of fact I canât do anything.â
âOh, but youâll go? â said Julie eagerly.
David laughed again.
âOh yes, Iâll go.â
CHAPTER IX
When David came into the room with the crowded dancing-floor and the little tables set close to the wall all round it, the first person that he saw was Tommy Wingate, plump and rosy. His large round eyeglassâTommyâs monocle always looked larger and shinier than anyone elseâsâwinked joyously at the many lights. His hair had gone a trifle farther back in the three years since David had seen him last. Otherwise the same Tommy.
David was very glad to see him now. He smote him on the shoulder, hauled him to a table, and ordered drinks.
âYou with anyone?â
âMeeting a man. Heâs late, or Iâm early. Man called Devlin. Said heâd introduce me. Iâm a pilgrim, Iâm a stranger. Oh, David, itâs good to get home! Anyoneââhe leaned forward and struck David painfully on the kneeââ anyone ââ
âTommy, Iâll break your head if you do that again!â
âThen youâll get chucked out. They were raided a month ago, and we donât break heads any more. What I was going to say when you interrupted me was that any blooming fellow can have the whole blooming East as far as Iâm concerned.â
He began to warble:
âI ainât going back no more, no more,
Oh, I ainât going back no more,
Tarara! â
The last word was so startlingly loud that it achieved an audience. Tommy was in admirable form.
âWhat are you doing? Leave?â
âJust a spot. Iâm for the Staff College and the midnight oilânot this sort, worse luck. I failed till they got tired of failing me and gave me a nomination. Erââ Tommyâs voice dropped from its loud and cheerful note. âErâhowâs everything?â
âOh, all right.â
Tommy let his eyeglass fall, picked it up, squinted through it with his other eye, and remarked absently:
âErâEleanorâs home.â
âYes, sheâs home.â
âShe all right?â
âGoing strong. Sheâs down at Ford staying with Betty. Better come and look us up.â
Tommy dropped his eyeglass again.
âWell,â he said, âIâll comeâbut I donât suppose itâs any earthly.â He screwed up his jolly face and looked deprecatingly at David. âIâve always been an ass about her, and I always shall be, and itâs never been any earthly. There you areâI donât think she minds me when I donât make too big an ass of myself.â He brightened a little. âWhen shall I come along?â
âWhat about to-morrow? Iâm driving down.â
The prospect of the tête-à -tête drive with Folly was one
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