He turned in his discomfort to leave the dancing-room. He himself
enjoyed society frankly enough. Especially since his marriage had he
found the companionship of agreeable women delightful. He went
instinctively to seek it, and drive out this nonsense from his mind.
Just inside the larger drawing-room, however, he came across Mary
Lyster, sitting in a corner apparently alone. Mary greeted him, but
with an evident coldness. Her manner brought back all the preoccupations
of his walk from the House. In spite of her small cordiality, he sat
down beside her, wondering with a vicarious compunction at what point
her fortunes might be, and how Kitty's proceedings might have already
affected them. But he had not yet succeeded in thawing her when a voice
behind him said:
"This is my dance, I think, Miss Lyster. Where shall we sit it out?"
Ashe moved at once. Mary looked up, hesitated visibly, then rose and
took Geoffrey Cliffe's arm.
"Just read your remarks this evening," said Cliffe to Ashe. "Well, now,
I suppose to-morrow will see your ship in port?"
For it was reasonably expected that the morrow would see the American
agreement ratified by a substantial ministerial majority.
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