nderstand that Mr. Forsyte wished a dozen bottles of the
champagne from Whiteley's to be put out? But if that were finished (she
did not suppose it would be, most of the ladies would drink water, no
doubt), but if it were, there was the champagne cup, and he must do the
best he could with that.

She hated having to say this sort of thing to a butler, it was so infra
dig.; but what could you do with father? Roger, indeed, after making
himself consistently disagreeable about the dance, would come down
presently, with his fresh colour and bumpy forehead, as though he had
been its promoter; and he would smile, and probably take the prettiest
woman in to supper; and at two o'clock, just as they were getting into
the swing, he would go up secretly to the musicians and tell them to play
'God Save the Queen,' and go away.

Francie devoutly hoped he might soon get tired, and slip off to bed.

The three or four devoted girl friends who were staying in the house for
this dance had partaken with her, in a small, abandoned room upstairs, of
tea and cold chicken-legs, hurriedly served; the men had been sent out to
dine at Eustace's Club, it being felt that they must be fed up.

Punctually on the stroke of nine arrived Mrs. Small alone. She made
elaborate apologies for the absence of Timothy, omitting all mention of
Aunt Hester, who, at the last minute, had said she could not be bothered.
Francie received her effusively, and placed her on a rout seat, where she
left her, pouting and solitary in lavender-coloured satin--the first time
she had worn colour since Aunt Ann's death.

The devoted maiden friends came now from their rooms, each by magic
arrangement in a differently coloured frock, but all with the same
liberal allowance of tulle on the shoulders and at the bosom--for they
were, by some fatality, lean to a girl. They were all taken up to Mrs.
Small. None stayed with her more than a few seconds, but clustering
together talked and twisted their programmes, looking secretly at the
door for the first appearance of a man.

Then arrived in a group a number of Nicholases, always punctual--the
fashion up Ladbroke Grove way; and close behind them Eustace and his men,
gloomy and smelling rather of smoke.

Three or four of Francie's lovers now appeared, one after the other; she
had made each promise to come early. They were all clean-shaven and
sprightly, with that peculiar kind of young-man sprightliness which had
recently in