Burton swaggered back to the threshold of the other room.

“Hi!  Come along, Maudie!” he said.  “I can’t take you out to-night but I’ll take you to-morrow night, and I’ll stand a bottle of champagne now to make up for it.”

“Don’t want your champagne,” the young lady began;—­“leastways,” she added, remembering that, after all, business was supposed to be her first concern, “I won’t say ‘no’ to a glass of wine with you, but you mustn’t take it that you can come in here and do just as you please.  I may go out with you some other evening, and I may not.  I don’t think I shall.  To-night just happens to suit me.”

With a last admiring glance at herself in the mirror, she came into the room.  Burton patted her on the arm and waved the wine list away.

“The best is good enough,” he declared,—­“the best in the house.  Just what you like yourself.  Price don’t matter just now.”

He counted a roll of notes which he drew from his trousers pocket.  The two girls looked at him in amazement.  He threw one upon the table.

“Backed a horse?” Maud asked.  “Legacy?” Milly inquired.  Burton, with some difficulty, relit the stump of his cigar.

“Bit of an advance I’ve just received from a company I’m connected with,” he explained.  “Would insist on my being a director.  I’m trying to get Waddington here into it,” he added, condescendingly.  “Jolly good thing for him if I succeed, I can tell you.”

Miss Maud moved away in a chastened manner.  She took the opportunity to slip upstairs and powder her face and put on clean white cuffs.  Presently she returned, carrying the wine on a silver tray, with the best glasses that could be procured.

“Here’s luck!” Burton exclaimed, jauntily.  “Can’t drink much myself.  This bubbly stuff never did agree with me and I had a good go at it last night.”

Maud filled up his glass, nevertheless, touched it with her own, and drank, looking at him all the time with an expression in her eyes upon which she was wont to rely.

“Take me out to-night, dear,” she whispered.  “I feel just like having a good time to-night.  Do!”

Burton suddenly threw his glass upon the floor.  The wine ran across the carpet in a little stream.  Splinters of the glass lay about in all directions.  They all three looked at him, transfixed.

“I am sorry,” he said.

He turned and walked out of the room.  They were all too astonished to stop him.  They heard him cross the bar-room and they heard the door close as he passed into the street.

“Of all the extraordinary things!” Maud declared.

“Well, I never!” Milly gasped.

“If Mr. Burton calls that behaving like a gentleman—­” Maud continued, in a heated manner—­Mr. Waddington patted her on the shoulder.

“Hush, hush, my dear!” he said.  “Between ourselves, Burton has been going it a bit lately.  There’s no doubt that he’s had a drop too much to drink this afternoon.  Don’t take any notice of him.  He’ll come round all right.  I can understand what’s the matter with him.  You mark my words, in two or three days he’ll be just his old self.”