ok out for you; I will imagine that I can
see you.'

Nan thought this was idle talk, so she said with a smile,

'Shall we give up this dance too? The fact is, I want to take mamma
and get her some tea, or an ice, or something.'

'Oh, don't do that!' said he eagerly; 'introduce me to her, and I will
take you both down to supper. There are some people there already----'

'But I must not go down--not yet,' said Nan, remembering her youth.

'Why not?' said he boldly. 'I know Lady Stratherne well enough for
anything. Why, nothing could be more natural. Of course you will come
down with your mamma.'

'I'm very hungry, and that's the truth,' said Nan; 'for I was too
excited or frightened to think about dinner. But if I went down now,
wouldn't they think it was a little bit----'

She was about to say 'cheeky,' but she remembered in time that this was
not her brother. He broke in abruptly--

'Never mind what any one thinks; come away, Miss Beresford, and
introduce me to your mamma.'

Then he looked at the various couples rapidly moving round that open
space to the sound of the seductive music, and he said, rather
wistfully--

'Don't you think we might have one turn? I shall not dance again this
evening.'

'Oh yes, certainly, if you wish it,' she said, quite blithely; and she
gave him her fan to hold, and arranged her train, and a couple of
seconds thereafter they were lost in that slowly circling whirlpool of
muslin and silk and satin.

When they came out of it again he was introduced to Lady Beresford, and
although he was quite anxiously humble and courteous to the elder lady,
he would hear of nothing but that she and Nan should forthwith go
downstairs to supper. By and by there would be too great a crush. It
was a kindness to Lady Stratherne to go before everybody else wanted a
place. And Miss Anne was hungry, which was a great matter.

Lady Beresford looked at Nan, but that young lady was unconscious. The
end of it was that these three very speedily found themselves below, in
the supper-room, where as yet there were only a number of elderly
people who had grown tired of the duties of chaperoning. And they had
scarcely sat down when Frank King, who was most assiduous in his
attentions to Lady Beresford, and scarcely saw Nan at all, discovered
that the mamma knew certain relatives of his, and knew all about his
own family, and had even on one occasion visited Kingscourt a good many
years ago. Lady