The week was from a Friday to a Thursday, and on the Thursday several things happened to Molly.  It was a brilliant day, and although those evenings from four till seven when nobody came were sorely trying, she was in very good spirits.  A friend coming out of church the day before had told her that she had met Sir Edmund Grosse at a country house.

“He said such pretty things about you,” purred the speaker, a nice newly “come out” girl who admired Molly very much.

But the main point to Molly had been the fact that Edmund had been away from London.  Surely he would come directly now!  She seemed to hear, constantly ringing in her ears, the voice in which he had asked if he might “come again very soon.”

Thursday had been a good day altogether, for Molly had skated at Prince’s and come home with a beautiful complexion to be “At Home” to the privileged from four till seven.  She got out of her motor, and was walking to the lift when it came whizzing down from above, and the little friend who had said the nice things yesterday stepped out of it, looking very bright.

“Oh, Miss Dexter,” she said, “may I come up again and tell you my good news?” Molly took her kindly by the arm and drew her into the lift again, and they went up.  But she hoped the girl would not stay.  She wanted to be quite alone, so that if anybody came who mattered very much they would not be disturbed.

“Well, what’s the good news?”

Molly looked brilliant as she stood smiling in the middle of the room.

“Well, it isn’t a bit settled yet, but I met Sir Edmund Grosse at luncheon, and he asked me if mother would let me go on his yacht to Cairo.  Lady Rose Bright is going and Lady Charlton, and he said they all wanted something very young indeed to go with them, so they thought I’d better come, and his nephew Jimmy, too.  Wasn’t it awfully kind of him?”

Molly turned and poked the fire.

“When do they go?” she asked.

“Sir Edmund starts to-morrow, but Lady Rose and Lady Charlton will follow in about ten days.  They will join the yacht at Marseilles, and I should go with them.  Do you think mother will let me go, Miss Dexter?”

Miss Dexter looked down.

“Why should your mother object?” she said.

“But it’s so sudden.”

“Yes, it’s very sudden,” said Molly, in a low voice.

“I can hardly keep quiet; I don’t know how to get through the time till six o’clock, and mother can’t be at home till then.”

Molly turned back into the room; her face was very white.  There were white dents in her nostrils, and there was a bitter smile on her lips.  Whatever she might have said was stopped in the utterance.  The parlourmaid had come into the room, and now, coming up to Molly, said in a low voice: 

“There is a gentleman asking if Miss Dexter will see him on important business; he says he is a doctor, and that he has come from Italy.”