on, there is no bearing it. That Emily who is with her is too
good for that slow set. She's the school-girl we heard of at Nice, or
somewhere; she wanted to elope with somebody, and Phil Malbone stopped
her, worse luck. She will be for eloping with us, before long."

Emilia colored scarlet, and gave a furtive glance at Hope, half of
shame, half of triumph. Hope looked at Blanche with surprise, made
a movement forward, but was restrained by the crowd, while the noisy
damsel broke out in a different direction.

"How fiendishly hot it is here, though! Jones junior, put your elbow
through that window! This champagne is boiling. What a tiresome time we
shall have to-morrow, when the Frenchmen are gone! Ah, Count, there you
are at last! Ready for the German? Come for me? Just primed and up to
anything, and so I tell you!"

But as Count Posen, kissing his hand to her, squeezed his way through
the crowd with Hal, to be presented to Hope, there came over Blanche's
young face such a mingled look of hatred and weariness and chagrin, that
even her unobserving friends saw it, and asked with tender commiseration
what was up.

The dancing recommenced. There was the usual array of partners,
distributed by mysterious discrepancies, like soldiers' uniforms, so
that all the tall drew short, and all the short had tall. There were the
timid couples, who danced with trembling knees and eyes cast over their
shoulders; the feeble couples, who meandered aimlessly and got tangled
in corners; the rash couples, who tore breathlessly through the
rooms and brought up at last against the large white waistcoat of the
violon-cello. There was the professional lady-killer, too supreme and
indolent to dance, but sitting amid an admiring bevy of fair women,
where he reared his head of raven curls, and pulled ceaselessly
his black mustache. And there were certain young girls who, having
astonished the community for a month by the lowness of their dresses,
now brought to bear their only remaining art, and struck everybody dumb
by appearing clothed. All these came and went and came again, and had
their day or their night, and danced until the robust Hope went home
exhausted and left her more fragile cousins to dance on till morning.
Indeed, it was no easy thing for them to tear themselves away; Kate was
always in demand; Philip knew everybody, and had that latest aroma of
Paris which the soul of fashion covets; Harry had the tried endurance
which befits b