"Please be serious, Mr. Pyne."
"I'm perfectly serious. Is the young lady, by
any chance, the one who had tea with you yester
day?''
He had noticed her--her gray flannel trousers
--the scarlet handkerchief tied loosely around her
breast--the vermilion mouth and the fact that she
had chosen a cocktail in preference to tea.
"You saw her? Terrible! Not the kind of girl
Basil has ever admired."
"You haven't given him much chance to admire
a girl, have you?"
"I?"
"He's been too fond of your company! Bad!
However, I daresay he'll get over this--if you
don't preciPitate matters."
"You don't understand. He wants to marry this
girl--Betty Gregg--they're engaged."
"It's gone as far as that?"
"Yes. Mr. Parker Pyne, you must do some
thing. You must get my boy out of this disastrous
marriage! His whole life will be ruined."
"Nobody's life can be ruined except by them
selves. ' '
"Basil's will be," said Mrs. Chester positively.
PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY
89
"I'm not worrying about Basil."
"You're not worrying about the girl?"
"No, I'm worrying about you. You've been