e present remarked that a certain
youth was a "spasm"; and then, seeing the look of perplexity upon his
face, she laughed, "I don't believe you know what I mean!" Montague
replied that he had ventured to infer that she did not like him.

And then there was Mrs. Harper, who came from Chicago by way of London.
Ten years ago Mrs. Harper had overwhelmed New York with the millions
brought from her great department-store; and had then moved on, sighing
for new worlds to conquer. When she had left Chicago, her grammar had
been unexceptionable; but since she had been in England, she said "you
ain't" and dropped all her g's; and when Montague brought down a bird
at long range, she exclaimed, condescendingly, "Why, you're quite a dab
at it!" He sat in the front seat of an automobile, and heard the great
lady behind him referring to the sturdy Jersey farmers, whose ancestors
had fought the British and Hessians all over the state, as "your
peasantry."

It was an extraordinary privilege to have Mrs. Harper for a guest; "at
home" she moved about in state recalling that of Queen Victoria, with
flags and bunting on the way, and crowds of school children cheering.
She kept up half a dozen establishments, and had a hundred thousand
acres of game preserves in Scotland. She made a speciality of
collecting jewels which had belonged to the romantic and picturesque
queens of history. She appeared at the dance in a breastplate of
diamonds covering the entire front of her bodice, so that she was
literally clothed in light; and with her was her English friend, Mrs.
Percy, who had accompanied her in her triumph through the courts and
camps of Europe, and displayed a famous lorgnette-chain, containing one
specimen of every rare and beautiful jewel known. Mrs. Percy wore a
gown of cloth of gold tissue, covered with a fortune in Venetian lace,
and made a tremendous sensation--until the rumour spread that it was a
rehash of the costume which Mrs. Harper had worn at the Duchess of
London's ball. The Chicago lady herself never by any chance appeared in
the same costume twice.

Alice had a grand time at the Todds'; all the men fell in love with
her--one in particular, a young chap named Fayette, quite threw himself
at her feet. He was wealthy, but unfortunately he had made his money by
eloping with a rich girl (who was one of the present party), and so,
from a practical point of view, his attentions were not desirable for
Alice.

Montague was left