Why, of course! Henry had told her he was coming, so she had expected the meeting and had had time to school herself to act! But this straw was not long vouchsafed him, and then stupefaction set in, for Henry chanced to say: "You must forgive me for not having time to write you my friend's name in my postscript, the post was off that minute--you had to take him on trust!" "I do not know that I even caught it just now!" Sabine returned archly.
"Mr .-- -- ?" And Henry, engaged for a moment taking a second cup of tea from Madame Imogen's fat hand, Michael answered for him, looking straight into her eyes: "Michael Howard Arranstoun of Arranstoun over the border in Scotland--like Gretna Green." "How romantic that sounds," Madame Imogen chimed in.

"Why, it's a name fit for a stage play I do think.

A party of my friends visited that very castle only last fall.

Mrs.Howard dear, it's as well known as the Trossachs to investigators of the antique!" "Wonderfully interesting!" Sabine remarked blandly--putting more sugar in her tea--at which Michael's eyebrows raised themselves in a whimsical way--back had rushed to him the recollection that on the only occasion they had ever drunk tea together before, she had said that she liked "lumps and lumps of it!" "You probably know England ?" he hazarded politely.
"Very little.

I was once there for a month when I was a child; we went to see Windermere and the Lakes." "You got no further north?
That was a pity, our country is most beautiful--but it is not too late--you may go there yet some day." "Who knows ?" and she laughed gaily--she had to allow herself some outlet, she felt she would otherwise have screamed.
Michael looked away out to sea and he told himself he must not tease her any more.