such emotion.
There was an expression of resignation, or repose, or sorrow, or
serenity, which in these excited chambers was strange, and singular, and
lone. She gazed like some genius invisible to the crowd, and mourning
over its degradation.

He stopped St. Maurice, as his cousin passed by, to inquire her name,
and learnt that she was Lady Aphrodite Grafton, the wife of Sir Lucius
Grafton.

'What, Lucy Grafton!' exclaimed the Duke. 'I remember; I was his fag
at Eton. He was a handsome dog; but I doubt whether he deserves such a
wife. Introduce me.'

Lady Aphrodite received our hero with a gentle bow, and did not seem
quite as impressed with his importance as most of those to whom he had
been presented in the course of the evening. The Duke had considerable
tact with women, and soon perceived that the common topics of a hack
flirtation would not do in the present case. He was therefore mild and
modest, rather piquant, somewhat rational, and apparently perfectly
unaffected. Her Ladyship's reserve wore away. She refused to dance,
but conversed with more animation. The Duke did not leave her side. The
women began to stare, the men to bet: Lady Aphrodite against the
field. In vain his Grace laid a thousand plans to arrange a tea-room
tete-a-tete. He was unsuccessful. As he was about to return to the
charge her Ladyship desired a passer-by to summon her carriage. No time
was to be lost. The Duke began to talk hard about his old friend and
schoolfellow, Sir Lucius. A greenhorn would have thought it madness to
take an interest in such a person of all others; but women like you to
enter their house as their husband's friend. Lady Aphrodite could not
refrain from expressing her conviction that Sir Lucius would be most
happy to renew his acquaintance with the Duke of St. James, and the
Duke of St. James immediately said that he would take the earliest
opportunity of giving him that pleasure.

CHAPTER VIII.

_A Noble Reprobate_

SIR LUCIUS GRAFTON was five or six years older than the Duke of St.
James, although he had been his contemporary at Eton. He, too, had been
a minor, and had inherited an estate capable of supporting the becoming
dignity of an ancient family. In appearance he was an Antinous. There
was, however, an expression of firmness, almost of ferocity, about his
mouth, which quite prevented his countenance from being effeminate, and
broke the dreamy voluptuousness of the rest of his features. In m