eared in a wonderful black gown, so wonderful
and expensive that its creator had given it a distinct title--The
Plume. Steve did his duty as a handsome figurehead, as someone called
him; after which he was free to stroll in the gardens and smoke and
wonder what manner of folks inhabited the stars.

An inspection of the house had taken place with Beatrice and Gay
leading the procession, and Aunt Belle bringing up the rear. The oh's
and ah's and exclamations of approval, resultant of fairy cocktails,
rewarded Beatrice for her expenditure. When she brought them into her
own apartment she stood back, while Gay lisped out the story of the
greatest achievement and novelty of the entire house, watching the
faces of her guests so as to catch the first expression of envy which
should reveal itself.

The novelty consisted in the set of bedroom furniture, which, though
the rest of the house was Italian, as Gay hastily explained, was of
Chinese workmanship, carved and inlaid in intricate design--two
dragons fighting over pearls, with the various stages of the struggle
represented on the bed legs, the bureau drawers, the easy-chair, the
dressing table, and so on. The set had been made for the Emperor of
China, but when his private council inspected it, it was found that
one of the carved dragons on top of the four-poster bed had captured
the pearl for which they had been fighting in sixty-seven or so other
carvings. This signified bad luck for the emperor; misfortune and
rebellion would be his lot if he slept in the bed. Though regretting
the loss of the furniture the emperor felt the loss of his kingdom
would be even greater, and the furniture was placed on the market. To
Mrs. Stephen O'Valley was awarded the ownership as well as the
privilege of writing the check that made the purchase possible. On the
bed was a pillow of the material woven for emperors only, thrown in on
account of the ill luck that would attend him who slept in the bed
beneath the conquering dragon; and on a carved bone platter was an
antique Maltese shawl which gave a rare note to the entire room.

Steve, who had regarded the emperor's rejected furniture as a cross
between a joke and an outrage, gave way to his feelings by pacing up
and down the hall and capturing a tray of sandwiches being carried to
the supper room. But Beatrice, after Gay's speech, felt a rare
joy--for every guest in the room hated her for having won the prize.
What more could she ask by