patient.

At last, in an unguarded moment Mrs. Habersham paused for breath, and in
the brief ensuing silence Penfield entered the conversation like a thin
sharp wedge.

"What a fad those butterflies are among you lovely ladies," he said to
Mrs. Habersham. "But yours are paler than most of them, more opaline.
Why?"

"Because I wear red so frequently," she replied indifferently. "The
purple and yellow butterflies would look horrid with my crimson frocks."

"I really think," said Penfield slowly, meeting her eyes with a cool,
blank gaze, "that, saving your presence, Mrs. Habersham, Marcia Oldham
has by far the handsomest set I have seen."

At this red rag, purposely fluttered as Hayden felt before the eyes of
Mrs. Ames, that lady sniffed audibly and tossed her head, emitting at the
same moment a faint, contemptuous cackle.

"Oh, no," Bea assured him with languor, although the scarlet burned in
her cheek. "Marcia's are nothing to compare to Mrs. ----," mentioning the
name of the London actress.

"Oh, I must differ from you." Penfield was suavely positive. "I am
surprised that you should say that, for Miss Oldham's are quite the most
artistic I have seen."

"Naturally Miss Oldham would have the handsomest set in the market,
wouldn't she?" queried Mrs. Ames in what no doubt was intended to be a
tone of innocent inquiry.

"Marcia's taste is very beautiful," said Mrs. Habersham coldly.

"And very extravagant, I understand." Mrs. Ames was started now; there
was no stopping her. "If one wears beautiful things in these days one
must expect to pay for them."

Mrs. Habersham shrugged her shoulders and turning to Hayden asked him
when he had last seen his cousin Kitty Hampton; but Mrs. Ames' cracked
voice rose above their low tones.

"I wish some one would explain to me--perhaps you can, Mr. Penfield--just
how a young woman who hasn't a penny to her name can afford a superb
necklace. Such things could not have occurred in my young days; but
different times, different manners. Humph!"

Before Penfield could reply, Bea Habersham leaned across the table and
addressed her clearly: "It seems to me that such imaginary and absurd
behavior would be considered as reprehensible to-day as in the remote era
you mention."

Mrs. Ames held her lorgnon to her eyes with one withered, yellow hand,
each finger covered to the swollen knuckles with diamonds dim with dust,
then she dropped it in her lap with another dry cackle and said w