He'll accept the reckoning and pay the piper." It was only toward the end of the evening that Monty found his reward in a moment with Barbara Drew.

He stood before her, squaring his shoulders belligerently to keep away intruders, and she smiled up at him in that bewildering fashion of hers.

But it was only for an instant, and then came a terrifying din from the dining-room, followed by the clamor of crashing glass.

The guests tried for a moment to be courteously oblivious, but the noise was so startling that such politeness became farcical.

The host, with a little laugh, went down the hall.