er all, no one man should fill anybody's
world, should he? Come along! It's half-past nine, and I hear the first
carriages."

And without waiting for Nance to reply, she swept her down the corridor
to the door of her bedroom.

The presence of Simonetta precluded the possibility of further
confidences; and ten minutes later, as the sisters again emerged upon
the corridor, the appearance of Lady Frances Hope from the door of her
own room deprived Nance of the moment for which she had been waiting.

Seeing them, Lady Frances came forward smilingly.

"How charming!" she said. "A study in black and white! Where did those
wonderful roses come from, Clodagh? They are nearly as dark as your
dress."

Clodagh looked down at the damask roses in her hand.

"Yes. Aren't they nearly black?" she said easily. "I was saying to Lord
Deerehurst the other day that there were no flowers one could wear in
mourning. And to-day I found these in my room. He had wired for them to
Ambleigh. It was very thoughtful of him."

Lady Frances gave an odd little smile.

"Very," she said. "I wonder if he meant them to be mourning. I believe
there was a language of flowers when he was young."

She gave a short amused laugh and turned to Nance.

"And this is your first English dance, Miss Asshlin?"

Nance, whose eyes had been flashing from one face to the other, gave a
little start at being so suddenly addressed.

"Yes--yes; it is. I came out in America."

"Then you can tell us in the morning which men make the nicest
partners, English or American."

Nance laughed. And Clodagh, with the new, protective instinct, put out
her hand and drew her close to her.

"Nance has made her choice," she said impulsively. "The field is not
open to Englishmen, But let us go downstairs! We are barely in time."

At the foot of the stairs, the three turned to the left and made their
way to the ballroom through the throng of arriving guests.

Entering the long room, they moved slowly forward to where Lady Diana
and her husband were receiving their guests.

Reaching Lady Diana's side, Clodagh felt her heart beat quicker, as she
caught side of Gore's fair head and tall, straight figure. And a
strange sense of repeated sensation surged about her. It might almost
have been the night at the Palazzo Ugochini, when Lady Frances Hope had
held her reception. Her hand felt a little unsteady as she laid it over
Nance's; her voice sounded low and uncertain as she spok