“And I’ve invited her to dine the day after tomorrow,” Miss Campbell remarked irrelevantly.

The adventure on Arakawa Ridge was far-reaching in its results as a matter of fact, but the most immediate one was a severe punishment administered by that usually kind and gentle person, Mr. Campbell, on no less a victim than the “Comet.”  Just what the punishment was you will find out when the Motor Maids themselves discover it.

CHAPTER VIII.

The compassionate god, Jizu.

Miss Campbell was very dubious about having invited Mme. Fontaine to dine.

“Of course she was very kind,” she remarked, “and we owe her a great deal, but I wish we could show our appreciation in some other way.  We don’t know anything about her:  who she is; where she came from; whether she has any family.”

“But, my dear cousin,” said Mr. Campbell, who had wandered about the world so much that he was accustomed to taking people without any questions, “what difference does it make?  You say she is refined and well-bred.  We know she is kind because of what she did for us.  But I will make some inquiries about her if you like—­”

“I never liked mixed bloods,” interrupted Miss Campbell, not listening to her relation.

“Everybody has some mixture of bloods,” laughed Billie.  “Look at Mary—­French and English; look at Elinor—­Scotch and Irish.”

“No, no,” protested Miss Campbell “Those aren’t the kinds of mixtures I referred to.  It’s those queer Oriental bloods—­yellow people and white people.”

The others all smiled indulgently.  Miss Campbell was just a little old-fashioned lady with old-fashioned restricted views, they thought.  She was the only one of the motor party who had not fallen under the spell of Mme. Fontaine, and apparently the only cause for her objection was because this charming stranger was part Japanese and wrote for the newspapers.

That evening Mr. Campbell endeavored to set her fears at rest.

“I have inquired about your mysterious Mme. Fontaine,” he said.  “She is a widow.  Her husband was editor of a paper in Shanghai.  She herself is a writer and a newspaper correspondent.  She has written several novels published in Shanghai, and she is generally considered to be a very bright person.  She has been living in Tokyo not quite a year and goes out very little.”

This fragment of her history only seemed to deepen the atmosphere of romance which enveloped the “Widow of Shanghai,” as Mr. Campbell would call her, and the Motor Maids rather eagerly awaited the evening when she was to dine with them.

In the meantime, they were to receive a ceremonious call from the family of Yoritomo Ito, and he himself was to act as interpreter for the three Japanese ladies, his mother, his aunt and his sister.  They appeared one afternoon in two jinrikshas and such a bowing and smiling was never seen before.  The day had been sultry and hot and tea was served in the summer-house in the garden by the little maids attached to the household.  Miss Campbell was sorry that the pretty Onoye, flower of the staff, did not appear.  However, these things were all left to O’Haru, and she said nothing.