s very nose.

Mrs. Ussher seeing this, decided that such methods as Nancy's ought not
to prevail; she seated herself on Max's other side, and instantly engaged
in conversation.

"Don't you think my dear little Christine is an angel?" she said, without
any encumbering subtility.

"She certainly looks like one."

"Who looks like what?" asked Mrs. Almar, from his other side. She had had
this sort of thing tried too often not to be on her guard.

Mrs. Ussher leant forward.

"Max was just saying that Christine looks like an angel."

Nancy looked at him and made a very slight grimace.

"Are you so awfully strong for angels?" she said. He laughed.

"I never met one before."

"You haven't met one to-night."

"You mean that you're not an angel, Mrs. Almar?"

"I? Oh, I'm well and favorably known as the wickedest woman in New York.
I meant that Miss Fenimer is not an angel."

"You don't like her?"

"How you jump at conclusions! To say she isn't an angel, doesn't mean
dislike. As a matter of fact, I am eager to secure her as my
sister-in-law."

Riatt glanced at Hickson and was aware of the faintest possible pang.
What qualities, he wondered, had a man like that.

"Oh," he said, "is she engaged to your brother?"

"Certainly not," answered Mrs. Almar. "But it is fairly well understood
by every one except my brother, that if she doesn't find anything better
within the next few years she will put up with him."

At this a slight feeling of disgust for both ladies took
possession of Riatt.

"I see," he said rather coldly, and turned to Mrs. Ussher, but Nancy was
not so easily disposed of.

"You mean," she went on, "that you see it is my duty as a sister to
prevent anything else turning up. Suppose, for example, that a handsome,
rich, attractive young man should suddenly appear upon the scene and show
an interest in the angelic Christine." (By this time Riatt had turned
again to her, and she looked straight into his eyes as she ran through
her list of adjectives.) "Don't you think it would be my duty to distract
his attention--to go almost any length to distract his attention?"

"However personally disagreeable to you the process might be?"

"Probably if he were as I described him, the process would not be so
disagreeable."

He smiled. There was no denying he found her amusing.

In the meantime, the couple across the table had reached a somewhat
similar point.

Hickson had said as they sat down:

"Well,