ate five chocolates from a large adjacent box
of them, the gift of J. Forsythe Avery. Then she yawned delicately, and
picked up "Sonnets from the Portuguese" (by Mrs. Browning); for she, it
must be remembered, had a well-rounded ideal, and believed that it was
your duty to cultivate your mind. Life isn't all parties and beaux, as
she sometimes remarked to Mattie Allen....

There came a knock upon the door, breaking the thread of culture. The
seneschal Moses entered, announcing callers, ladies, in the
drawing-room. Carlisle sighed; recalled herself to actuality. After
glancing at the cards, she conceded the injudiciousness of saying that
she was out, and told Moses to announce that she would be down in a
moment. She kept the callers waiting twenty moments, however, while, in
her own room, she made ready for the street. She was donning a hat which
in shape and size was not unlike a man's derby; it was of black velvet,
lined under the brim with old-blue, and edged with a piping of
dark-brown fur. At a certain point in or on it, there stuck up two stiff
straight blue plumes. The hat was simply absurd, wildly laughable and
ridiculous, up to the moment when she got it on; then it was seen that
it had a certain merit after all. It was a calling-costume (as one
believes) that Carlisle assumed for the Bellingham; a blue costume, of a
soft material which had been invented only about a month before, and
which was silk or satin, according as you looked at it, but certainly
did not shine much. The coat, or jacket or wrap, which completed the
suit was arresting in design, to say no more of it. Less original were
the muff and stole of darkest sable; but they were beautiful.

Carlisle, it need hardly be said, went downstairs in her hat. "Oh," the
visiting ladies would say, "but you are going out." "Oh, not for half an
hour yet," she would protest. "I'm _so_ glad you came."

About 4.30, J. Forsythe Avery, who had no office hours, was ushered into
the stately Heth drawing-room. The lady callers withdrew promptly, but
not so promptly as to make it too pointed. It was generally believed at
this time that Miss Heth "had an understanding" with Mr. Avery, though
it was quite well known that she, personally, much preferred young
Robert Tellford. The figure, however, at which a famous life insurance
company commanded Robert's undivided services made him a purely academic
interest. With J. Forsythe the case was totally different: from the
env