vited Rao-Singh to be present at the conference the next afternoon. She hoped, however, that he would not come earlier than the others. She preferred to have her meetings with himnow when other people were present. As things turned out, he made his appearance at about the same time as Mrs. Peabody's limousine. He was a tall, straight, striking looking figure attired in a white riding suit and mounted upon his favorite black horse. He dismounted and bowed with extravagant politeness to Carmelita and her visitors and was content for the rest to occupy a wicker chair in the background and say little. His dark eyes rested constantly upon Carmelita, though, absorbed in the business at hand, she hardly seemed to notice him.
The date of the Fête was set for three weeks hence and Carmelita plunged into the preparations with all the energy she possessed. She seemed to be hoping to find in this excessive activity an opportunity to forget her financial troubles and her husband's discontent.
Carmelita was making use of the refreshing subterfuge of temporarily ridding her mind of unpleasant worry, by replacing it by pleasant worry. In the same way a business executive forgets the cares of business by burdening his mind instead with anxiety as to whether his golf game is improving or not. There is
