“Eh bien!  Au revoir!” said she shortly, with a peculiar challenging half-smile, which seemed to be saying, “Are you going to be worthy of my education?  Let us hope so.”

And Miss Nickall, with her grey hair growing fluffier under a somewhat rakish hat, said with a smile of sheer intense watchful benevolence: 

“Well, good-bye!”

While Nick was ecstatically thanking Mr. Gilman for his hospitality, Tommy called Audrey aside.  Madame Piriac’s car had vanished.

“Have you heard about the rehearsal this morning?” she asked, in a confidential tone, anxious and yet quizzical.

“No!  What about it?” Audrey demanded.  Various apprehensions were competing for attention in her brain.  The episode of Mr. Cowl had agitated her considerably.  And now she was standing right against the column bearing Musa’s name in those large letters, and other columns up and down the gay, busy street echoed clear the name.  And how unreal it was!...  Tickets being given away in half-dozens!...  She ought to have been profoundly disturbed by such a revelation, and she was.  But here was the drive with Mr. Gilman insisting on a monopoly of all her faculties.  And on the top of everything—­Tommy with her strange gaze and tone!  Tommy carefully hesitated before replying.

“He lost his temper and left it in the middle—­orchestra and conductor and Xavier and all!  And he swore he wouldn’t play to-night.”

“Nonsense!”

“Yes, he did.”

“Who told you?”

Already the two women were addressing each other as foes.

“A man I know in the orchestra.”

“Why didn’t you tell us at once—­when you came?”

“Well, I didn’t want to spoil the luncheon.  But of course I ought to have done.  You, at any rate, seeing your interest in the concert!  I’m sorry.”

“My interest in the concert?” Audrey objected.

“Well, my girl,” said Tommy, half cajolingly and half threateningly, “you aren’t going to stand there and tell me to my face that you haven’t put up that concert for him?”

“Put up the concert!  Put up the——­” Audrey knew she was blushing.

“Paid for it!  Paid for it!” said Tommy, with impatience.

CHAPTER XL

GENIUS AT BAY

Audrey got away from the group in front of the restaurant with stammering words and crimson confusion.  She ran.  She stopped a taxi and stumbled into it.  There remained with her vividly the vision of the startled, entirely puzzled face of Mr. Gilman, who in an instant had been transformed from a happy, dignified and excusably self-satisfied human male into an outraged rebel whose grievance had overwhelmed his dignity.  She had said hurriedly:  “Please excuse me not coming with you.  But Tommy says something’s happened to Musa, and I must go and see.  It’s very important.”  And that was all she had said.  Had she asked