He seemed to be in excellent spirits, and his dry humour provoked a good deal of merriment.
She led the way back to the drawing-room as soon as possible.

There was a billiard-room beyond to which the members of her party speedily betook themselves, and here most of the men joined them soon after.

Neither Caryl nor Abingdon was with them, and Vera counted the minutes of their absence with a sinking heart while her guests buzzed all unheeding around her.
It was close upon ten o'clock when she saw her husband's face for a moment in the doorway.

He made a rapid sign to her, and with a murmured excuse she went to him, closing the door behind her.
Caryl was standing with him, calm as ever, though she fancied that his eyes were a little wider than usual and his bearing less supercilious.
Her husband, she saw at a glance, was both angry and agitated.
"She has gone off somewhere with that bounder Brandon," he said.

"They got down to tea, and went off again in the motor afterwards, Mrs.
Lockyard doesn't seem to know for certain where." "Phil!" she exclaimed in consternation, and added with her eyes on Caryl, "What is to be done?
What can be done ?" Caryl made quiet reply: "There was some talk of Wynhampton.