“I don’t care what Fane, Harmon think,” growled Austin, touching a button over his desk.  His stenographer entered; he nodded a curt dismissal to Gerald, adding, as the boy reached the door: 

“Your sister expects you to be on hand to-night—­and so do we.”

Gerald halted.

“I’d clean forgotten,” he began; “I made another—­a rather important engagement—­”

But Austin was not listening; in fact, he had already begun to dictate to his demure stenographer, and Gerald stood a moment, hesitating, then turned on his heel and went away down the resounding marble corridor.

“They never let me alone,” he muttered; “they’re always at me—­following me up as though I were a schoolboy. . . .  Austin’s the worst—­never satisfied. . . .  What do I care for all these functions—­sitting around with the younger set and keeping the cradle of conversation rocking?  I won’t go to that infernal baby-show!”

He entered the elevator and shot down to the great rotunda, still scowling over his grievance.  For he had made arrangements to join a card-party at Julius Neergard’s rooms that night, and he had no intention of foregoing that pleasure just because his sister’s first grown-up dinner-party was fixed for the same date.

As for this man Selwyn, whom he had never met, he saw no reason why he should drop business and scuttle uptown in order to welcome him.  No doubt he was a good fellow; no doubt he had behaved very decently in a matter which, until a few moments before, he had heard little about.  He meant to be civil; he’d look up Selwyn when he had a chance, and ask him to dine at the club.  But this afternoon he couldn’t do it; and, as for the evening, he had made his arrangements, and he had no intention of disturbing them on Austin’s account.

When he reached his office he picked up the telephone and called up Gerard’s house; but neither his sister nor anybody else was there except the children and servants, and Captain Selwyn had not yet called.  So he left no message, merely saying that he’d call up again.  Which he forgot to do.

* * * * *

Meanwhile Captain Selwyn was sauntering along Fifth Avenue under the leafless trees, scanning the houses of the rich and great across the way; and these new houses of the rich and great stared back at him out of a thousand casements as polished and expressionless as the monocles of the mighty.

And, strolling at leisure in the pleasant winter weather, he came presently to a street, stretching eastward in all the cold impressiveness of very new limestone and plate-glass.

Could this be the street where his sister now lived?

As usual when perplexed he slowly raised his hand to his moustache; and his pleasant gray eyes, still slightly blood-shot from the glare of the tropics, narrowed as he inspected this unfamiliar house.

The house was a big elaborate limestone affair, evidently new.  Winter sunshine sparkled on lace-hung casement, on glass marquise, and the burnished bronze foliations of grille and door.