"The offer is not accepted. It is supper time now. Goodbye."

"I am taking you in to supper."

"I am not here as a guest, you know."

"You should not be here at all. You should let me rescue you from the indignity of your position."

"To place me in a position of greater indignity! I see no indignity in my present position."

"That is because you are so innocent."

"I don't think Madam Cardingly knows what sort of man you are, or she would not allow you to come here."

"It is precisely because she knows the sort of man I am that she welcomes me here. Come, let us go in to supper."

At the supper table buffet they were joined by others, and Melisande was glad of this. The conversation was general. It ranged from politics—always a favourite topic at Fenella's gatherings—to literature. Melisande had quickly learned to be discreet and, if she could not profitably add to the interest of the discussion, she would keep silent. Fenella often said that it was better for a girl to be quiet than foolish.

One of the ladies of the party now admired Melisande's dress and wondered how it would look in claret colour. It was Melisande's duty to discuss the claret-coloured dress the lady might wish to be made for her, to suggest slight alterations to suit a more mature figure than her own. Melisande was a success at her job and nothing delighted her more than to give advice which resulted in a sale. Then she could feel justified in her comfortable existence in this strange household.

The conversation was turned to the Poor. Everybody talked about the Poor nowadays. It was as though they had just discovered the Poor; although Fenella had been aware of them for so long, she had only recently managed to make them a subject of general interest. There were always, in every gathering, those who would cry: "But Christ said, 'The Poor ye have always with you' and that means there must always be poor. Why all this fuss about something which is natural and inevitable?" There were others who quoted The Song of the Shirt and Oliver Twist. These were now discussing The Cry of the Children and the new novel Coni.igsby by that Jew who was, it was said, about to lead the Tory protectionists.

Some of the more frivolous were discussing Fanny Kemble's latest performance; but Melisande remained quiet, not this time because she could not have joined in, but because of Fermor's presence.

He lifted his glass of champagne and drank to their future.

"I do not see what future you and I could have together unless ..." she began.

"Unless you come to your senses?" he finished for her. "My dear, you will. I promise you."

"Unless," she went on, "you reform your ways. Then perhaps I may meet you with Caroline."

"Reform ... reform!" he sang out, "It is all reform. Everybody would reform everything these days. Are they not content with their Corn Laws? Must they start on human beings?"

She said quietly: "You don't think about other people at all, do you? You are the utter egoist. You see only a small world with Fermor Holland in the centre of it."

"Don't be deceived. We are all in the centre of our small worlds— even your learned friends here with their chitter-chatter of art and literature, of politics and reform. 'Listen to me: they are saying. 'Hear what I have to say!' I say that too, and because my song is a different one, that does not prove me to be any more self-centred than the next man."

"I wish you had not come here."

"Be honest. You are delighted that I have come."

She was silent for a while, and because he was smiling she said: "It is startling to see someone reappear from a life which one had thought left behind for ever."

"You always knew I'd come for you, didn't you? It'll always be like that, Melisande. I shall always be with you."

The champagne had made her eyes sparkle. She had drunk more than she was accustomed to. Was she a little tipsy? That was an unpardonable sin in Fenella's eyes. "Drink is a goodly thing," was one of her maxims. "One must drink to be sociable. One must acquire the art of drinking, which is to drink just enough. To drink too little is unfriendly; to drink too much is gross."

As a result of her heightened emotions Melisande was seeing everything with a new clarity. What was she doing here ? What sort of place was this to which her father had sent her ? Was it merely, as he said, to learn dressmaking? It was certainly not to learn dressmaking. It was to wear beautiful clothes, to attract admiration. Why? She caught sight of Daisy now. Daisy was wearing a pink dress, very decollete in which she looked like a full-blown rose. She was making an appointment with a thick-set man. In a little while they would slip away and Daisy would not be seen until next day. "Do you know what sort of place this is?" Fermor had asked.

Why did Fenella keep girls here? What was it all about? Was it the sort of place to which a conscientious father would send his daughter? Was Fenella Cardingly the kind benefactress she had made Melisande believe she was? What were those places called, where girls like Daisy, Kate and Mary Jane lived and worked? What was the label attached to the women who looked after such places, who arranged such meetings? Was this a high-class brothel? Was Madam Fenella a procuress? What was the ultimate purpose of sending a girl here ?

But it was this man who had put evil thoughts into her head. Fenella was good and kind. This was a happy place. Did she believe that, because she wished to believe it, because if she believed otherwise she would not know how to act ?

Nothing could make her alter her opinion of Fenella's kindness. She had come here, bruised and wounded, and Fenella's strange house had comforted her as she had not believed it was possible to be comforted.

Fermor took her glass from her and set it down. She stood up.

"Let us go back to the salon," he said.

He took her arm and gripped it fast. She found as they moved away, that she was glad of the support. They were alone in the corridor.

He said: "It is impossible to talk in that room with so many people about us. Can we not be together alone ... for five minutes?"

"Do you know," she said, and her voice sounded vague and not her own, "why I have been sent here?"

He nodded. "And I want you to leave here. It is not good for you to be here, in this kind of place."

"I do not understand you."

"Is it possible that you don't know?"

He had opened a door and looked inside. Finding Fenella's small sitting-room unoccupied, he drew her in. He shut the door and put his arms about her.

"I can't leave you here," he said passionately.

"If there is anything that is wrong in this place, you have brought it. Until now ..."

"Did I bring the prostitutes, the Bed of Fertility? What is going on in this house now ... at this moment ? What mysteries should we discover if we were to look, I wonder?"

"But you said that Madam Cardingly is a friend of your father's .. . and she is also a friend of Sir Charles."

"My father is of his generation. I'm fond of him. I'm also like him. He would come here but he would not expect my mother or my sisters to do so. Sir Charles has sent you here to acquire a husband, I'll swear. Fenella's is the only market for bastards."

She twisted free. "Good night," she said.

He laughed, and caught her. "Having at last found this solitude, do you think I will lose it? The home I would offer you is respectability itself compared with this place."

"I do not believe you."

"Let us stop quarrelling. Let us enjoy these few moments alone. Oh, Melisande, if I had known how strong was this passion I have for you, I would not have married Caroline."

She retorted angrily: "You say that, now that your marriage has taken place. It is safe to say it now."

"I mean it. I have thought of you constantly. And, you see, you can't hide your feelings from me. We were meant for each other. Don't let us deny it."

"But I will deny it... I will." Her voice shook. To her horror she found that she was crying.

He lifted her and carried her to a sofa. There he sat, holding her in his arms. Now he was gentle, tender; she wished he would not be so, for in such a mood he was irresistible.

They were silent for a while. All her denials, she knew, were of no use. She had betrayed herself. She sensed his triumph. She could only sit still with his arms about her, drying her eyes with his handkerchief.

"It might have been quite different," she said, "if you really mean that you love me enough to marry me."

"I do mean it," he said. "But what's done is done. Let us build with what is left to us."

"And Caroline?"

"Caroline need never know."

She stood up suddenly. "I must go," she said. "I shall be missed."

"What does it matter?"

"I am employed here to show this dress."

"From this moment no one employs you. My love, you are free."

"I feel that I shall never be free."

"We must settle this. Come away with me ... to-night. Tomorrow I will find a house. There we shall be together ... and nothing shall part us."

"You do not understand. I am saying goodbye."

His eyes glinted. "You change quickly. A moment ago you led me to believe ..."

"You led yourself to believe."

She ran out of the room. It was not easy to slip back into the salon unseen. Genevra and Lucie had noticed her entry. Genevra came to her and kept close to her for the rest of the evening. Genevra, the child of St. Giles's, felt protective towards the girl from the Convent.

Fenella drank a cup of chocolate before she slept. Polly brought it and sat on her bed watching her drink it. "You're worried, Madam dear," she said. "Rubbish!" said Fenella.

"Is it that couple in the Bed? They'll never get children. A hundred beds such as ours would be no use to them." Polly giggled. "Fifty guineas a night! One of these days someone will ask for his money back."

"It rarely fails, Polly. You know that very well."

"It will to-night. And what if one of these reformers gets busy on you, ducky? What if they start talking about fraud?"

"Don't be silly, you insect. As if I can't look after all reformers."

"Well, we have been in trouble at times, you know."

"And got out of it. Now, Polly, three of the best men of law in this country are my very close friends. Politicians are my friends. Everybody who has any power is my friend. They would not wish any scandal to upset our little world of delights, would they? If there were a scandal about our Bed, they wouldn't be able to come here, would they? So there will be no scandal. It is not that which worries me.

"Oh, so there is something worrying you?"

"I'd tell you if I could trust you to keep your mouth shut."

"Don't worry. I'll find out for myself. Is it our little French Melly? I thought there was something strange about her after the party was over. She'd been crying too, and Genevra was looking after her as though she was Mary and the other her little lamb."

"A young man came here to-night. He's upset her. He mustn't come here again. He's up to no good."

"What about letting one of the others look after him? Kate's latest hasn't been after her quite so much lately. Every week his longing for our Katey grows weaker. Poor Katey, she's going to need a consolation prize."

"I wish it were possible. He's charming, but I don't think he'll be satisfied with anyone other than the girl on whom he's set his heart." Polly grimaced. "And has Melly set her heart on him?"

"Our Melisande is a good girl, Polly Kendrick; and she knows his wife. Otherwise ... I'm not sure. But I've got to be sure. Polly, we've got a job to do. Her father sent her to me to be married, and I've never yet failed anyone who entrusted his child to me. We've delayed too long over that girl. I'm fond of her. I wanted to keep her with us for a bit. But she's got to be married ... soon. Then this blue-eyed cavalier won't be my affair. I'm afraid of him—he's so charming. Polly, he's formidable!"

They continued to discuss Melisande and the night's uninvited guest. They laughed and talked about the couple in the Bed of Fertility; they went over the chances of Genevra's marrying her lord; and they ended up by mentioning certain young men who would be eager to marry Melisande, for the adequate dowry her father would provide, together with her undoubted charms, would make her an excellent match.