ombination, directed towards the Church of
England; for you may not know that Sally has a vicar in her train, Mr.
Beresford, and he will probably speak to-night. As for me-"

Before these shocking personalities were finished Salemina and Francesca
had fled to their rooms, and Mr. Beresford took up my broken sentence
and said, "As for you, Miss Hamilton, whatever gown you wear, you are
sure to make one man speak, if you care about it; but, I suppose, you
would not listen to him unless he were English"; and with that shot he
departed.

I really think I shall have to give up the Francesca hypothesis, and,
alas! I am not quite ready to adopt any other.

We discussed international marriages while we were at our toilets,
Salemina and I prinking by the light of one small candle-end, while
Francesca, as the youngest and prettiest, illuminated her charms with
the six sitting-room candles and three filched from the little table in
the hall.

I gave it as my humble opinion that for an American woman an English
husband was at least an experiment; Salemina declared that for that
matter a husband of any nationality was an experiment. Francesca ended
the conversation flippantly by saying that in her judgment no husband at
all was a much more hazardous experiment.

Chapter XI. The ball on the opposite side.

We are all three rather tired this morning,--Salemina, Francesca, and
I,--for we went to one of the smartest balls of the London season last
night, and were robbed of half our customary allowance of sleep in
consequence.

It may be difficult for you to understand our weariness, when I confess
that the ball was not quite of the usual sort; that we did not dance
at all; and, what is worse, that we were not asked, either to tread a
measure, or sit out a polka, or take 'one last turn.'

To begin at the beginning, there is a large vacant house directly
opposite Smith's Private Hotel, and there has been hanging from its
balcony, until very lately, a sign bearing the following notice:--

THESE COMMANDING PREMISES
WITH A SUPERFICIAL AREA OF
10,000 FT. AND 50 FT.
FRONTAGE TO DOVERMARLE ST.
WILL BE SOLD BY AUCTION
ON TUESDAY, JUNE 28TH, BY
MESSRS. SKIDDY, YADDLETHORPE AND SKIDDY
LAND AGENTS AND SURVEYORS
27 HASTINGS PLACE, PALL MALL.

A few days ago, just as we were finishi