Finally they took the road to Neuilly, and went on for a time very contentedly.

But Maurice, after a while, fell into little fits of silence, thinking how he should first speak of the subject most important to him.

He felt that there could be no better opportunity than this, and he was not cool enough to reflect that it was waste of trouble to try to choose his words, since if Lucia accepted him she would for ever think them eloquent; and if she refused him, would be certain to consider them stupid.

She, on the other hand, was in unusually high spirits.

It had occurred to her that Lady Dighton, who seemed to know everybody, would probably know Percy.