, "I always sit with my feet out so, and I always
will, so long as I've the spirit of a god."

"Isn't he delicious?" buzzed Mrs. Pasmer, leaning backward to whisper to
Mrs. Brinkley; it was not that she thought what Dan had just said was so
very fanny, but people are immoderately applausive of amateur dramatics,
and she was feeling very fond of the young fellow.

The improvisation went wildly and adventurously on, and the curtains
dropped together amidst the facile acclaim of the audience:

"It's very well for Jupiter that he happened to think of the curtain,"
said Mrs. Brinkley. "They couldn't have kept it up at that level much
longer."

"Oh, do you think so?" softly murmured Mrs. Pasmer. "It seemed as if
they could have kept it up all night if they liked."

"I doubt it. Mr. Trevor," said Mrs. Brinkley to the host, who had
come up for her congratulations, "do you always have such brilliant
performances?"

"Well, we have so far," he answered modestly; and Mrs. Brinkley laughed
with him. This was the first entertainment at Trevor cottage.

"'Sh!" went up all round them, and Mrs. Trevor called across the
room, in a reproachful whisper loud enough for every one to hear, "My
dear!--enjoying yourself!" while Mavering stood between the parted
curtains waiting for the attention of the company.

"On account of an accident to the call-boy and the mental exhaustion of
some of the deities, the next piece will be omitted, and the performance
will begin with the one after. While the audience is waiting, Mercury
will go round and take up a collection for the victim of the recent
accident, who will probably be indisposed for life. The collector will
be accompanied by a policeman, and may be safely trusted."

He disappeared behind the curtain with a pas and r swirl of his
draperies like the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, and the audience again
abandoned itself to applause.

"How very witty he is!" said Miss Cotton, who sat near John Munt. "Don't
you think he's really witty?"

"Yes," Munt assented critically. "But you should have known his father."

"Oh, do you know his father?"

"I was in college with him."

"Oh, do tell me about him, and all Mr. Mavering's family. We're so
interested, you know, on account of--Isn't it pretty to have that
little love idyl going on here? I wonder--I've been wondering all the
time--what she thinks of all this. Do you suppose she quite likes it?
His costume is so very remarkable!" Miss Cott