s it solemnly cremated
by her butler!"

"It is wicked to do such things," put in old Mrs. Montague, when she
had heard this tale through. "I don't see how people can get any
pleasure out of it."

"That's what I said," replied Alice.

"To whom did you say that?" asked Montague. "To Mrs. Landis?"

"No," said Alice, "to a cousin of hers. I was downstairs waiting for
her, and this girl came in. And we got to talking about it, and I said
that I didn't think I could ever get used to such things."

"What did she say?" asked the other.

"She answered me strangely," said the girl. "She's tall, and very
stately, and I was a little bit afraid of her. She said, 'You'll get
used to it. Everybody you know will be doing it, and if you try to do
differently they'll take offence; and you won't have the courage to do
without friends. You'll be meaning every day to stop, but you never
will, and you'll go on until you die.'"

"What did you say to that?"

"Nothing," answered Alice. "Just then Mrs. Landis came in, and Miss
Hegan went away."

"Miss Hegan?" echoed Montague.

"Yes," said the other. "That's her name--Laura Hegan. Have you met her?"

CHAPTER VIII

The Horse Show was held in Madison Square Garden, a building occupying
a whole city block. It seemed to Montague that during the four days he
attended he was introduced to enough people to fill it to the doors.
Each one of the exquisite ladies and gentlemen extended to him a
delicately gloved hand, and remarked what perfect weather they were
having, and asked him how long he had been in New York, and what he
thought of it. Then they would talk about the horses, and about the
people who were present, and what they had on.

He saw little of his brother, who was squiring the Walling ladies most
of the time; and Alice, too, was generally separated from him and taken
care of by others. Yet he was never alone--there was always some young
matron ready to lead him to her carriage and whisk him away to lunch or
dinner.

Many times he wondered why people should be so kind to him, a stranger,
and one who could do nothing for them in return. Mrs. Billy Alden
undertook to explain it to him, one afternoon, as he sat in her box.
There had to be some people to enjoy, it appeared, or there would be no
fun in the game. "Everything is new and strange to you," said she, "and
you're delicious and refreshing; you make these women think perhaps
they oughtn't to be so bored after all