rust of self which frequently
seizes hold of a person on entering a crowd of strangers. He did his
best to conceal his curiosity, but nevertheless he looked and listened
with all his might.

The salon, was an immense apartment, divided into two rooms by sliding
doors and hangings. When Madame d'Argeles gave a ball, the rooms were
thrown into one; but, as a general rule, one room was occupied by the
card-players, and the other served as a refuge for those who wished
to chat. The card-room, into which Pascal had been ushered, was an
apartment of noble proportions, furnished in a style of tasteful
magnificence. The tints of the carpet were subdued; there was not too
much gilding on the cornices; the clock upon the mantel-shelf was chaste
and elegant in design. The only thing at all peculiar about the room
and its appointments was a reflector, ingeniously arranged above the
chandelier in such a way as to throw the full glare of the candles upon
the card-table which stood directly beneath it. The table itself was
adorned with a rich tapestry cover, but this was visible only at
the corners, for it was covered, in turn, with a green baize cloth
considerably the worse for wear. Madame d'Argeles's guests were probably
not over fifty in number, but they all seemed to belong to the very best
society. The majority of them were men of forty or thereabouts; several
wore decorations, and two or three of the eldest were treated with
marked deference. Certain well-known names which Pascal overheard
surprised him greatly. "What! these men here?" he said to himself; "and
I--I regarded my visit as a sort of clandestine frolic."

There were only seven or eight ladies present, none of them being
especially attractive. Their toilettes were very costly, but in rather
doubtful taste, and they wore a profusion of diamonds. Pascal noticed
that these ladies were treated with perfect indifference, and that,
whenever the gentlemen spoke to them, they assumed an air of politeness
which was too exaggerated not to be ironical.

A score of persons were seated at the card-table, and the guests who had
retired into the adjoining salon were silently watching the progress of
the game, or quietly chatting in the corners of the room. It surprised
him to note that every one spoke in very low tones; there was something
very like respect, even awe, in this subdued murmur. One might
have supposed that those present were celebrating the rites of some
mysterious