Bobbie pounced upon it,
and put it in his pocket. "A hostage! Surrender--and talk to me! Do you
belong to the Mallory faction--or don't you?"
"Give me my ball, sir--and don't dare to mention that girl's name in
this house."
Bobbie opened his eyes.
"I say!--what did you mean by writing to me like that if you weren't on
the right side?"
"What do you mean?"
"You can't have gone over to Lady Lucy and the Fotheringham woman!"
Lady Niton looked at him with a queer expression of contempt in her
tanned and crumpled face.
"Is that the only reason you can imagine for my not permitting you to
talk of Diana Mallory in this house?"
Bobbie, looked puzzled. Then a light broke.
"I see! You mean the house isn't good enough? Precisely! What's up.
Alicia? _No_!"
Lady Niton laughed.
"He has been practically engaged to her for two years. He didn't know
it, of course--he hadn't an idea of it. But Alicia knew it. Oh! she
allowed him his amusements. The Mallory girl was one of them. If the
Sparling story hadn't broken it off, something else would. I don't
believe Alicia ever alarmed herself."
"Are they engaged?"
"Not formally.
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