His face showed nothing beyond the polite, impersonal interest which any stranger might exhibit.
"I have just missed the pleasure of hearing you sing, I'm afraid," he said, shaking hands.

"Have you been back in town long, Miss Quentin ?" "No, only a few days," she answered.

"I had my first lesson with Signor Baroni the other day, and it was then that I met Miss de Gervais." "At Baroni's ?" Diana intercepted a swift glance pass between him and Adrienne.
"Yes," said the latter quickly.

"I went to rehearse my song in 'The Grey Gown' with him.

He was rather crochety that day," she added, smiling.
Diana smiled in sympathy.
"Well, if he was crochety with you, Miss de Gervais," she observed, "you can perhaps imagine what he was like to me!" "Was he so very bad ?" asked Adrienne, laughing.