He gave a scarcely perceptible start of surprise as his eyes fell upon Diana, but he betrayed no pleasure at seeing her again.  His face showed nothing beyond the polite, impersonal interest which any stranger might exhibit.

“I have just missed the pleasure of hearing you sing, I’m afraid,” he said, shaking hands.  “Have you been back in town long, Miss Quentin?”

“No, only a few days,” she answered.  “I had my first lesson with Signor Baroni the other day, and it was then that I met Miss de Gervais.”

“At Baroni’s?” Diana intercepted a swift glance pass between him and Adrienne.

“Yes,” said the latter quickly.  “I went to rehearse my song in ’The Grey Gown’ with him.  He was rather crochety that day,” she added, smiling.

Diana smiled in sympathy.

“Well, if he was crochety with you, Miss de Gervais,” she observed, “you can perhaps imagine what he was like to me!”

“Was he so very bad?” asked Adrienne, laughing.  “Every one says his temper is diabolical.”

“It is,” replied Diana, with conviction.

“Still,” broke in Errington’s quiet voice, “I should have thought he would have found it somewhat difficult to be very angry with Miss Quentin.”

Diana fancied she detected the familiar flavour of irony in the cool tones.

“On the contrary, he apparently found it perfectly simple,” she retorted sharply.

“And yet,” interposed Adrienne, “from the panegyrics he indulged in upon the subject of your voice after you had gone, I’m sure he thinks the world of you.”

“Oh, I’m just a voice to him—­nothing more,” said Diana.

“To be ‘just a voice’ to Baroni means to be the most important thing on earth,” observed Errington.  “I believe he would imperil his immortal soul to give a supremely beautiful voice to the world.”

“Nonsense, Max,” protested Adrienne.  “You talk as if he were perfectly conscienceless.”

“So he is, except in so far as art is concerned, and then his conscience assumes the form of sheer idolatry.  I believe he would sacrifice anything and anybody for the sake of it.”

“Well, it’s to be hoped you’re wrong,” said Adrienne, smiling, and again Diana thought she detected a glance of mutual understanding pass between the actress and Max Errington.

A little uncomfortable sense as of being de trop invaded her.  She felt that for some reason Errington would be glad when she had gone.  Possibly he had come to see Miss de Gervais about some business matter in connection with the play he had written, and was only awaiting her departure to discuss it.  He had not appeared in the least pleased to find her there on his arrival, and from that moment onward the conversation had become distinctly laboured.

She wished very much that Miss de Gervais had not pressed her to stay when he came, and at the first opportunity she rose to go.  This time, Adrienne made no effort to detain her, although she asked her cordially to come again another day.