“I was near here and had nothing to do, so I came early,” he said, not apologetically, but carelessly.

He looked at her and added: 

“What’s happened to you to-day?”

“Nothing.  What an extraordinary question!”

“Is it?  You look different.  There’s a change.”

A suspicious expression made his face ugly.

“Have you met any one?”

“Of course.  How can one go out in Constantinople without meeting people?”

“Any one new, I meant.”

“No.”

“You look as if you had.”

“Do I?” she said, with indifference.

“Yes.  You look—­I don’t know——­”

He paused.

“I think it’s younger,” he added.  “You never are tired or ill, but you generally look both.  To-day you don’t.”

“Please don’t blame me for looking moderately well for once in my life.”

“Why did you ask me to dinner here?”

The sound of his voice was as suspicious as the expression on his face.

“Oh, I don’t know.  Once in a while it doesn’t matter.  And all the servants have gone away to Buyukderer.”

“Then you are going there?”

“I’m not sure if I shall be able to stay there for more than a few days if I do go.”

“Why not?” he said slowly.

“It’s just possible I may have to go over to England on business.  Something’s gone wrong with my money matters, not the money my husband allows me, but my own money.  I had a letter from my lawyer.”

“When?”

“To-day.”

He stood before her in silence.

“By the way,” she added, “I saw all those letters for you on the hall table.  Why don’t you read them?”

“Going to England, are you?” he said, frowning.

“I may have to.”

“Surely you must know from your lawyer’s letter whether it will be necessary or not.”

“I expect it will be necessary.”

He turned slowly away from her and went to the window, where he stood for a moment, apparently looking out.  She sat down on the sofa and glanced at the clock.  How were they to get through a long evening together?  She wished she could bring about a crisis in their relations abruptly.  Dion turned round.  He had his hands in his pockets.

“I wish you’d let me look at that lawyer’s letter,” he said.

“It wouldn’t interest you.”

“If it’s about money matters I might be able to help you.  You know they used to be my job.  Even now anything to do with investments——­”

“Oh, I won’t bother you,” she said coolly.  “I always do business through some one I can pay.”

“Well, you can pay me.”

“No, I can’t.”

“But I say you can.”

“How?” she said.

And instantly she regretted having asked the question.

He looked at her in silence for a minute, then he said: 

“By sticking always to me, by proving yourself loyal.”