d completely broken her down, poor
thing. The large quantities of "Marella" which she had imbibed had
poisoned the system. The Swedish massage had made her bulky. And the
prohibition as to letters had so severely shaken her nerve ganglions
that she had been forced to seek the strengthening air of an expensive
Swiss altitude, from which she had only just returned by way of Paris,
where she had been nearly finished off by the dressmakers. However,
being a woman of courage, she was down in peach color, with a pale
turquoise-blue waist-belt, to receive her guests and to help to make
things cheery. And she devoured condolences with an excellent appetite.

"Whatever you do, never touch 'Marella'!" she was saying in her quick,
light voice as Mrs. Mansfield and Charmian came into the music-room.
"It's poison. It turns everything to I forget what, but something that
develops the microbes instead of destroying them. I nearly died of it.
Ah, Violet! Don't let Charmian be massaged by a Swede. It will ruin her
figure. I've had to starve in Switzerland, or I couldn't have got into
any of my new gowns. There's nothing so fatal as a rest cure. It sets
every nerve on edge. The terrible monotony, and not knowing whether
those one loves are alive or dead, whether the Government's gone out, or
if there's a new King, or anything. Quite unnatural! It unfits one to
face life and cope with one's friends. But Max would make me. Dear old
Max! He's such a faddist. Men are the real faddists. I'll tell you about
a marvellous new Arab remedy presently. I heard about it in Paris. We
are going to have a lot of music in a minute. Yes, yes!"

She spoke rapidly, looking about the room and seldom hearing what was
said to her. Perpetual society had destroyed in her all continuity of
mind. Ever since she could remember she had forgotten how to listen. She
wanted to see, hear, know everybody, everything. Her mind hovered on the
horizon, her restless and pale-blue eyes sought the farthest corners of
the chamber to see what was happening in them, while she spoke to those
within a foot or two of her. She laughed at jokes she did not catch or
want to catch. She replied to questions she had divined by the
expression on a face while she was glancing over the head it belonged
to. She asked for information and travelled away ere it was given. Yet
many people liked her. She was one of those very fair and small women
who always look years younger than almost anyone re