"Well?" he repeated.
They were entering the drive which led up to the brightly lighted bungalow
before she answered.
"It's a bargain then," she said. "I promise."
He pressed her hand with his left.
"That's all right," he said cheerily. "You won't find yourself
overburdened. The case is just this: we're partners, you and I, with some
good cards between us. Just at present it's my call, and your hand goes
down. Do you understand?"
"Pretty well," she answered.
They pulled up at the open doorway, and flinging the reins to the waiting
syce, Travers sprang to the ground.
"By the way, I believe you go in to dinner with Stafford," he remarked
casually as he helped her to alight. "I hope you will get on well
together."
CHAPTER VI
BREAKING THE BARRIER
The Colonel's dinner-party was Beatrice's first great triumph in the face
of her enemies. They were all there and all armed to the teeth with spite
and envy. There was, for instance, Mrs. Berry with her marriageable if
somewhat plain daughter, and many more women besides to whom the beautiful
girl was of necessity an unforgivable opponent. The more the men laughed
at her quick and occasionally rather pointed observations, the more an
obvious admiration shone out of their criticisms, the more determined the
hatred became. Among themselves they had already fulfilled Travers'
prophecy and had christened her "the Adventuress" for no other reason than
that she was a woman with the same ambitions as themselves, but better
accoutred for success.
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