She broke from him and rushed from the room, banging the door behind
her.
"Well I'm sunk!" muttered Tony, distractedly running his fingers
through his sandy hair. "What on earth is a fellow to do in these
circumstances? I hope to goodness Myra won't carry on like this after
we are married, or I shall never know where I am. I wonder what upset
her?"
Troubled in mind, he took his departure, and on his way to his Club he
was fortunate enough to meet Lady Fermanagh.
"My dear Tony, all women are more or less creatures of impulse, liable
to do the most unexpected and quixotic things," her worldly-wise
Ladyship told him, when he had explained what had happened and asked
her to advise him what to do. "That is what makes us so interesting.
We do not understand ourselves, and if men understood us we should
cease to interest or attract them."
"Yes, I suppose so, Lady Fermanagh," agreed Tony, with a disconsolate
shake of his head. "But it would be rather awful to marry a woman who
puzzled one all the time. I couldn't make Myra out at all to-day, and
can't think what can have upset her."
"Remember, dear boy, that Myra is Irish and has the Celtic
temperament," said Lady Fermanagh. "Probably someone, or something,
had upset her before you called, and you had to suffer for it."
"It wasn't only I who had to suffer," remarked Tony. "Poor old Carlos
was there when I blew in, and Myra was snubbing him unmercifully.
Between ourselves, Lady Fermanagh, Myra was positively insulting. Don
Carlos took it rather well, but I fancy he was upset all the same."
"H'm! So Don Carlos is back?" commented her ladyship, with an
inscrutable smile. "That may explain matters. Perhaps it was he who
was responsible for Myra's tantrums. But don't worry, Tony. Myra will
probably be particularly nice to you if you see her to-night."
"I'm not exactly worried, Lady Fermanagh, but I'm very puzzled," said
Standish. "I don't suppose Don Carlos had anything to do with the
matter, really, although he did say chaffingly that he had been making
love to Myra again and said she was afraid of him. But after he had
gone Myra seemed uncommonly annoyed with me for some reason or other,
and--er--well, a fellow doesn't know exactly what to do in the
circumstances, and I thought you'd be able to give me advice."
"My advice to you, Tony, is to make ardent love to Myra, to woo her as
if she had not already promised to marry you," Lady Fermanagh
responded. "It is just possible, my dear Tony, if you will forgive my
suggesting it, that you have not been playing the part of devoted lover
wholeheartedly enough."