“I mustn’t keep the fly waiting for my portmanteau,” said Mr. Courtland.  “If you will allow me, I shall look to it now, and say good-night.”

“What!  Oh, you mustn’t think of running off in this way,” said Ella.  “What reason had you for returning at all if you run off at this hour?”

“It is getting quite late.  I mustn’t keep the good people of the Old Bell up on my account,” said he.  “Besides, a man represents a certain inharmonious element upon such an occasion as this.  Miss Ayrton returned expecting to be with you alone.  I know the disabilities of a man quite well.  Yes, I must say good-night.”

“Nonsense!  Pray talk to him, Phyllis,” cried Ella.  “You may make him amenable to reason.”

But Phyllis stood mute with her hand on the handle of the door; she only smiled, and there is neither reason nor argument in a smile.

“Good-night!” said he.

“Oh, well, if you really have nothing to say to either of us,—­to either Phyllis or me,—­you had better go, I suppose,” said Ella, giving him her hand, but she did not look at him in the face while his hand was touching hers.

Curiously enough, neither did Phyllis look at him as was her wont.

And so he left them that night.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

GIVE HIM BACK TO ME—­GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!

They seemed to have been parted for months instead of hours, so much had they to say to each other, and so rapidly did they say it.  Rapidly?—­feverishly rather.  Phyllis had only to remove her hat and smooth her hair at places, disordering it at others, in order to be all right; but half an hour had gone by before they went downstairs, arm in arm, after the manner of girls who have been talking feverishly and kissing every now and again.

It was madness for Phyllis to think of tea at that hour of the night, Ella declared; but she knew Phyllis’ fancies in the past—­she knew that what would set other girls’ nerves in motion, would only have the effect of soothing hers.  So Phyllis drank her tea and ate her cake in the drawing room, and Ella lay back on the sofa and watched her with a curious interest in her eyes.

“I am so glad that we are spending together in this way the last night of our delightful week,” said Phyllis.  “What a lovely week it has been! and the charm of it is, of course, to be found in the fact that it has been stolen from the best part of the season.  In another month it would not be nearly so delightful—­everyone will be hurrying off to the river or elsewhere.”

“Such a week is one of the incidents that a person plans but that rarely comes off according to one’s views,” said Ella.  “I told you when I set my heart upon Hurley what my idea was.”

“And you have certainly realized it during this week.  What a pity it is that this is our last night together!”

“Do you know, Phyllis, the way you said that suggested to me that you meant ’What a pity it is that Herbert Courtland is not one of our party to-night’!”