alena, she took the arm he offered
her.

The function was not as melancholy as the Yorba dinners were wont to be.
Young people in or approaching their first season are not easily
affected by atmosphere; and those present to-night, with the exception
of Magdalena and Tiny Montgomery, chattered incessantly. Tiny had a
faculty for making her temporary partner do the talking while she
enjoyed her dinner; but she listened sweetly and her superlatives were
happily chosen.

Mrs. Cartright always talked incessantly whether anyone listened or not.
Mrs. Washington, who sat on Don Roberto's left, amused him with the
audacity of her slang. Where she learned the greater number of her
discords was an abiding mystery; the rest of Menlo Park relegated slang
to the unknown millions who said "mommer" and "popper," got divorces,
and used cosmetics. When remonstrated with, she airily responded that
her tongue was "made that way," and rattled off her latest acquisition.
As she was an especial pet of Mrs. Yorba's--if that august dame could be
said to pet anyone--and of distinguished Southern connections, the
remonstrances were not serious.

Magdalena, although she ordered her brain to action, could think of
nothing to say to Rollins; but he was a budding lawyer and asked no more
of providence than a listener. He talked volubly about Helena's childish
pranks, the last Bohemian Club Midsummer Jinks, the epigrams of his
rivals at the bar. He appeared very raw and uninteresting to Magdalena,
and she found herself trying to overhear the remarks of Trennahan, who
was doing his laborious duty by his hostess. After a time Trennahan
allowed his attention to be diverted by Ila, who sat on his right. That
he was grateful for the change there could be no doubt. His expression
up to this point had been one of grim amusement, which at any moment
might become careworn. The lines of his face relaxed under Ila's curved
smiles and slanting glances. They laughed gaily, but pitched their
voices very low.

Magdalena wondered if all dinners were as wearisome as this. Rollins
finally followed Trennahan's example and devoted himself to Caro Folsom,
a yellow-haired girl with babyish green eyes, a lisp, and an astute
brain. On Magdalena's left was a blond and babbling youth named Ellis,
who made no secret of the fact that he was afraid of his intellectual
neighbour; he stammered and blushed every time she spoke to him. He had
gone in with Rose Geary, a blonde fa