like to wake you up, my dear, and make you
look more like a real live girl, and less like a marionette. The way
that Mellicent stares is disgraceful. She must be made to stop."

Peggy cleared her throat in meaning fashion, met the wide blue eyes and
frowned a warning. Any other girl in the world would have understood
and obeyed; but Mellicent only gaped the more, raised questioning
eyebrows, and even mouthed a dumb inquiry. Peggy screwed up her face
into a vicious glare of anger, at which moment, it is needless to say,
Eunice seized the opportunity to lift her eyes from the carpet. For one
second amazement held her motionless, then she fell to work on the card-
case with redoubled zeal, and tilted her hat over her face. Her eyes
could not be seen, but her lips were twisted on one side, and her cheeks
grew suddenly, mysteriously pink. Was she laughing? Was she angry?
Peggy could not tell, but she felt an intense curiosity to discover, and
a dawning suspicion that Eunice was perhaps not quite so "Eunicey" after
all.

"It is very nice to come home to the old country again, and to see all
our friends. Miss Asplin and I had lessons together for four years, so
that, as you may imagine, we have a great deal to talk over now that we
have met again," she explained; and Miss Rollo replied with elaborate
politeness:

"I can indeed. It must be delightful I hope you will bring Miss Asplin
with you, if you come to us on Wednesday. We are having a reception in
the evening, with music and tableaux. It will be a crush, I'm afraid,
but you may find it amusing. Rosalind Darcy is coming. She has been
staying in the country for a week, but she will be back by then, and
would like to see you, I'm sure. I hope you will be able to come."

"Oh, I hope so!" The answer came simultaneously from two pairs of lips,
and Mellicent drew in her breath with a gasp of pleasure. It was
beginning already. What excitement--what joy--what delight! Only the
first day of her visit, and behold! an invitation to one of the best-
known houses in London, where with her own eyes she should behold those
great people of the world whom she had read about, but never, never
expected to see. At this rate, Mellicent reflected, she would find
herself on intimate terms at Court before the fortnight was concluded;
and oh! the joy of returning home and speaking in casual tones about
Princes of the Blood, Dukes and Marquises, and Cabinet Ministers, for,