“The phantom lover,” said June Mason lugubriously, “is certainly turning up trumps.”

It was a week later, and she was giving Micky tea.

Esther was out. She knew now that it was to see Esther he came. She was quite reconciled to the fact, and had got over her first pang of jealousy, but Esther’s indifference to him enraged her.

“Can’t the girl see what she’s throwing away?” she asked herself furiously. “What on earth is she made of that she can’t see what’s waiting for her to take? If Micky had adored me as he adores her ... well––my name wouldn’t have been June Mason to-day.”

But she kept such thoughts to herself and treated Micky very much the same as usual, though unconsciously there was a slight restraint in her manner, especially when Esther was present.

“I’m beginning to think that I’ve misjudged our Raymond,” she went on laughingly. “Perhaps some one has converted him. Anyway, he’s treating Esther handsomely. First the money, and last week the fur coat....” Micky looked up with sudden interest.

“Oh, it’s come, then, has it!” he said eagerly.

“Come! It’s been here two days. How did you know?” she asked with sudden suspicion.

“I heard you talking about it. Wasn’t it you? No? Then it must have been Miss Shepstone.”

“I dare say,” said June easily. “I never saw any one so delighted with a thing as she was with that coat. And it is a beauty, Micky. I only hope it’s paid for,” she added practically.

“Why shouldn’t it be paid for?” Micky said.

She made a little grimace.

“Because Raymond Ashton never paid for things if he could help it; and you know he didn’t,” she told him. “However, as he seems to be a reformed character, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.” Suddenly she began to laugh. “And that isn’t all,” she said again. “This morning a collar arrived for that blessed cat–––” She indicated Charlie sleeping peacefully on the rug. “A silver collar, too my boy, with Esther’s name on it....”

Micky stooped to examine the collar; his face was red when, after a moment, he looked up again.

“Esther declares she never told him we’d got a cat,” June told him doubtfully. “But, of course, she must have done so or else the man’s got second sight.”

Micky was drinking his tea; he choked suddenly.

A feeling of panic closed upon him. Never told him she’d got a cat! of course she hadn’t! What a fool he had been to make such a blunder––what an utter blockhead.

“I expect she did tell him,” he managed to say.

“Yes, that’s what I think.” June lit a cigarette and passed the lighted match over to Micky.

“Anyway, Esther goes about the place singing all day,” she added drily. “There’s no doubt at all that she’s up in the seventh heaven of happiness. Reams of letters the man writes her. Perhaps, as the novels tell us, love is a wonderful thing–––” She looked at Micky with a comical expression in her queer eyes. “I should say it must be if it’s reformed that man,” she added cynically.

Micky said nothing. He had been very uncomfortable about things during the last few days. As far as he could find out, Ashton had not yet been married. Supposing it had all been bluff when he said he was going to be married––supposing he turned up again in London?

Micky stayed as long as he could in case Esther came in; it was only when he began to feel sure that June knew why he was dragging his visit to such a length that he said he ought to be going.

“There’s no hurry,” she said kindly. “Why not wait till Esther comes in?”

Micky shook his head; he said he couldn’t spare the time, but in his heart he knew quite well that he intended to wait.

“I suppose she––er––she never talks any more about taking a job now, eh?” he asked after a moment.

“No, I don’t think so; that man’s word is law to her, you know. I believe if he said ‘Come out here and marry me at once,’ she’d fly off by the next train. As a matter of fact, I’m expecting something of the sort almost daily.”

“I don’t think she’ll do that,” Micky said. He stood back to the fire, with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the ceiling.

“No!” June watched him quizzically. “Do you know, Micky,” she said at last, “that I consider you’ve altered a lot lately?”

He swung round at once, and scrutinised himself in the glass over the mantelshelf.

“For the worse, or the better?” he asked anxiously. “I know I never was exactly an Adonis.”

She laughed merrily.

“I don’t mean your face, stupid, but yourself. You’re quieter, you don’t go about so much; in fact”––she challenged him deliberately––“I believe you’re in love.”

“So I am,” said Micky stolidly.

She pretended not to take him seriously.

“It’s no joking matter––I mean what I say.”

“So do I,” said Micky. He laughed. He came over to where she was sitting, and stood behind her chair so that she could not see his face. “I’ve tried to make up my mind to tell you lots of times,” he said. “But I thought perhaps you’d have guessed before now....” He stopped and moved away restlessly.

June sat very still; presently––

“It’s Esther,” she said quietly.

“Yes.”

“Poor old Micky!...”

“You needn’t be sorry for me; I walked into it with my eyes wide open. I knew she was engaged––I knew it all the time.”

“And Esther ... does she know? Have you told her?”

“Yes.... She took it as an insult. Perhaps it was; I don’t know. You see, I knew she was engaged to that other fellow.”

“An outsider! who isn’t worth a thought,” June cried indignantly. “Micky, however could she have refused you?”

He laughed. He looked down at her with a comical expression in his eyes.

“She’s not the first woman who’s done that,” he reminded her.

She sat up with sudden haste.

“That wasn’t anything, but this....”

“This,” said Micky, “isn’t anything either, except on my side. You always told me that some day I shouldn’t be able to have what I wanted. You were right.”

“I should like to slap her!” said June viciously.

He laughed outright.

“If you did I should slap you, my dear.” He went back to his chair by the fire. “It’s only between ourselves, June,” he said.

“Of course ... and, Micky––do you think she will marry Ashton?”

Micky did not answer for a moment.

“No,” he said at last. “I don’t think so.”

June stared at him.

“Then––then do you mean–––” But he would not tell her anything.

“You’ve heard quite enough for one day,” he said teasingly. “Don’t worry your head about me. I don’t know why I told you––somehow I thought you’d guessed.”

June threw her cigarette into the fire.

“I did. I’ll be honest––I did guess,” she broke off. “Here is Esther,” she added.

She got up and opened the door.

“The lady with the fur coat,” she announced drily. “Pray come in, madame!”

“June,” said Esther protestingly.

She seemed to guess who was there. She looked past her friend at once to Micky.

She coloured faintly as he rose to greet her.

He had not seen her in the fur coat before. The dark fur suited her fairness admirably; the heavy folds hung gracefully about her slim figure; her face rose like a flower from the big, upstanding collar.

“And where have you been all the afternoon?” June demanded. “We waited tea for you till nearly five.”

Esther made a little grimace. “I’ve had my tea out––with Mr. Harley.”

“Harley?” said Micky sharply.

June laughed.

“He’s one of the tribe who live here,” she explained. “He’s a great admirer of Esther’s. And he’s quite a nice boy too, isn’t he?” she appealed to her friend.

“Very nice,” Esther agreed. “I met him quite by chance, and so we went and had some tea.”

Micky was frowning; it was odd that he felt more jealous of this man whom he had never seen than he had ever done of Ashton. He hated to feel that Esther had gone out with him wearing her new coat.

He stood by silently while the two girls chattered together; he felt very much out of it and unwanted.

“I’m glad everybody likes my coat,” Esther said. She had taken it off and was holding it at arm’s length, admiring its beauty.

“It was a lovely present, wasn’t it?” She appealed to Micky.

“Yes,” he said.

She laid her cheek to the big, soft collar.

“It’s something I have wanted all my life,” she told him.

Micky put out his hand and took it from her. He hated to see her standing there looking so happy because she believed it had come from Ashton; he threw it down on the couch.

“I shall have to be going,” he said abruptly. He shook hands with June, but he walked out of the room without speaking to Esther.

“I don’t want any dinner,” he told Driver when he got in. “I’m going to bed.”

Driver opened his mouth to say something and closed it again; he brought the evening papers and his master’s slippers and turned to leave the room. At the door he stopped and looked back.

“Have you seen the evening paper, sir?” he asked deprecatingly.

“No,” said Micky. Something in the man’s voice arrested his attention; he turned in his chair. “Why?” he asked curtly.

Driver came back a step.

“There’s a notice of Mr. Ashton’s marriage in it, that’s all, sir,” he said woodenly. “I thought that you’d be interested.”