Presently the door opens, and Ponsonby comes in.  ‘All alone,’ says he.  ‘I thought you always had some one worshipping at your shrine.’

‘Indeed, you are much mistaken,’ replies she laughing, ’but I didn’t know you were in London—­’

‘I only came back this morning—­’

‘Mabel and Lady Dadford are in there,’ interrupts Philippa indifferently, pointing to the front room.

‘Well, unless I am disturbing you, I will remain here,’ says Paul, ‘there are some letters I must write,’ and going to the table he proceeds to hunt for paper and pens; Lippa goes on reading her book, and a silence of a few minutes ensues.

Then he says, ‘What wretched pens you do keep—­’

‘Yes,’ replies she, ’they are rather bad, but I think you will find some others in the right hand drawer—­have you ever read this?’ holding up her volume.

’The “Epic of Hades,” yes, parts of it are very fine.  “There is an end of all things that thou seest.  There is an end of wrong and death and hell,"’ quotes he.

‘What a melancholy passage,’ says Lippa.

‘A very grand one I think,’ he replies, ’but I should never have thought you would care for that kind of literature.’

‘Why not?—­’

’Because, well, I should have thought it would have been too deep for you—­’

‘Really,’ then after a pause, ‘do you know that wasn’t very polite—­’

‘Wasn’t it? suppose I say then that I am agreeably surprised—­’

’That’s nearly as bad, if not quite, it sounds as if you expected me to read nothing but books like the “Daisy Chain,” or “Laneton Parsonage."’

‘Very excellent books too—­’

‘Oh, Paul! how tiresome you are, do you know I,’ and then Miss Seaton is filled with confusion, she has called him by his Christian name and he is looking at her and smiling.  ‘I—­er beg your pardon,’ she says quickly in her childish way.

‘What for?’ asks he, pretending not to understand her.

‘For calling you by your Christian name—­’

‘Well, and what harm was there?’

‘You see,’ she says deprecatingly, ’Mabel is always talking about you, and so I get into the habit of talking of you as Paul.’

Paul rises and standing in front of her says—­’As I said before, where is the harm?  I have never called you anything else but Philippa, or Lippa; I could not address you as Miss Seaton, it does not suit you one bit you know; now let us make it a compact from henceforth, I call you Lippa, and you call me Paul.’

‘Very well,’ replies she.

‘What ever are you two doing here,’ and the curtain is hastily drawn aside by Mabel.  ’You look as grave as judges, come and have some strawberries and cream, Lady Dadford has gone.’

At the sound of strawberries, Lippa hastily rises, and they go into the front room, where Jimmy Dalrymple is.

‘How do you do,’ says Philippa, wondering how long he has been there.  And then they attack the strawberries.