Page:Herbert Jenkins - Patricia Brent Spinster.djvu/256



NE Sunday morning as Patricia was sitting in the Park watching the promenaders and feeling very lonely, she saw coming across the grass towards her Godfrey Elton accompanied by a pretty dark girl in an amber costume and a black hat. She bowed her acknowledgment of Elton's salute, and watched the pair as they passed on in the direction of Marble Arch.

Suddenly the girl stopped and turned. For a moment Elton stood irresolute, then he also turned and they both walked in Patricia's direction.

"Lady Peggy insisted that we should break in upon your solitude," said Elton, having introduced the two girls.

"You will forgive me, won't you?" said Lady Peggy, "but I so wanted to know you. You see Peter has the reputation of being invulnerable. We're all quite breathless from our fruitless endeavours to entangle him, and I wanted to see what you were like."

"I'm afraid you'll find I'm quite commonplace," said Patricia, smiling. It was impossible 246