"Oh, of course, he's certain to be here," urged Phoebe, not liking to
begin dinner without her brother, who might provokingly arrive as soon
as they sat down; while on the other hand, her three years' experience
of married life had taught her that it was undesirable to keep Lawrence
waiting. When half-past eight struck, however, she could restrain his
impatience no longer; the three went to the dining-room, and
Carrissima, with a sense of profound disappointment, sat down at the
round table opposite the empty chair.
Although Phoebe did her utmost to spin out the meal by eating with
tantalizing and hygienic slowness, it ended without any sign of the
absentee, and at last she felt bound to return to the drawing-room,
where she was followed ten minutes later by Lawrence, who had stayed to
smoke a cigarette.
"The worst of it is," he said, standing before the fire, "you never
know quite where you are with Mark."
"I suppose," suggested Carrissima, "the simple fact of the matter is
that he missed his train."
"In that case," returned her brother, "surely he might have run to
sixpence for a telegram.
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