Page:Herbert Jenkins - Patricia Brent Spinster.djvu/129

 She turned round and saw a fair-haired girl smiling at her from the car.

"I—I"

"Jump in, won't you?" said the girl.

"But—but I think you've made a mistake."

"You're Patricia Brent, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Patricia, smiling, "that's my name."

"Well then, jump in and I'll run you up to Galvin House. Don't delay or you'll be too late for your aunt."

Patricia looked at the girl in mute astonishment, but proceeded to get into the car, there seemed nothing else to be done. As she did so, the fair-haired girl laughed brightly. "It's awfully mean of me to take such an advantage, but I couldn't resist it. I'm Peter's sister, Tanagra."

"Oh!" said Patricia, light dawning upon her and turning to Tanagra with a smile, "Then you're the solution?"

"Yes," said Lady Tanagra, "I'm going to see you two out of the mess you've somehow or other got into."

Suddenly Patricia stiffened. "Did he—did he er—tell you?"

"Not he," said Lady Tanagra, shoving on the break [sic] suddenly to avoid a crawling taxi that had swung round without any warning. "Peter doesn't talk."

"But then, how do you?"

"Well," said Lady Tanagra, "he told me that I was to be the one who had introduced him to