On this day, for no reason obvious to Aileen or Cowperwood (although both suspected), introductions were almost uniformly refused.

There were a number who knew them, and who talked casually, but the general tendency on the part of all was to steer clear of them.

Cowperwood sensed the difficulty at once.

"I think we'd better leave early," he remarked to Aileen, after a little while.

"This isn't very interesting." They returned to their own home, and Cowperwood to avoid discussion went down-town.