on of necktie, shirt-front and waistcoat, as some aged
remnant of sovereignty at the opera looks over the ribbon of an order
and the ledge of a box.

I must add, however, that in spite of my sense of his wife's indulgence
I kept quite aware of the nearer approach, as course followed course, of
my hour of reckoning with her--more and more saw the moment of the
evening at which, frankly amused at last at having me in a cleft stick,
she would draw me a little out of the throng. Of course, also, I was
much occupied in asking myself to what degree I was prepared to be
perjured. _Was_ I ready to pretend that my candour was still
unconvinced? And was I in this case only instinctively mustering my
arguments? I was certainly as sorry that Mrs. Server was out of my view
as if I proposed still to fight; and I really felt, so far as that went,
as if there might be something to fight for after the lady on my left
had given me a piece of news. I had asked her if she happened to know,
as we couldn't see, who was next Mrs. Server, and, though unable to say
at the moment, she made no scruple, after a short interval, of
ascertaining with the last directness. The stretch forward in which she
had indulged, or the information she had caused to be passed up to her
while I was again engaged on my right, established that it was Lord
Lutley who had brought the lovely lady in and that it was Mr. Long who
was on her other side. These things indeed were not the finest point of
my companion's communication, for I saw that what she felt I would be
really interested in was the fact that Mr. Long had brought in Lady
John, who was naturally, therefore, his other neighbour. Beyond Lady
John was Mr. Obert, and beyond Mr. Obert Mrs. Froome, not, for a wonder,
this time paired, as by the immemorial tradition, so fairly comical in
its candour, with Lord Lutley. Wasn't it too funny, the kind of
grandmotherly view of their relation shown in their always being put
together? If I perhaps questioned whether "grandmotherly" were exactly
the name for the view, what yet at least was definite in the light of
this evening's arrangement was that there did occur occasions on which
they were put apart. My friend of course disposed of this observation by
the usual exception that "proved the rule"; but it was absurd how I had
thrilled with her announcement, and our exchange of ideas meanwhile
helped to carry me on.

My theory had not at all been framed to embrace the phe