other players appeared, he joined them in a
plunge. Afterward, he entered one of the electric elevators and was
escorted to his room, where he found his bag unpacked, and his evening
attire laid out upon the bed.

It was about nine when the party went into the dining-room, which
opened upon a granite terrace and loggia facing the sea. The room was
finished in some rare black wood, the name of which he did not know;
soft radiance suffused it, and the table was lighted by electric
candles set in silver sconces, and veiled by silk shades. It gleamed
with its load of crystal and silver, set off by scattered groups of
orchids and ferns. The repast of the afternoon had been simply a lunch,
it seemed--and now they had an elaborate dinner, prepared by Robbie
Walling's famous ten-thousand-dollar chef. In contrast with the uproar
of the inn was the cloistral stillness of this dining-room, where the
impassive footmen seemed to move on padded slippers, and the courses
appeared and vanished as if by magic. Montague did his best to accustom
himself to the gowns of the women, which were cut lower than any he had
ever seen in his life; but he hesitated every time he turned to speak
to the young lady beside him, because he could look so deep down into
her bosom, and it was difficult for him to realize that she did not
mind it.

The conversation was the same as before, except that it was a little
more general, and louder in tone; for the guests had become more
intimate, and as Robbie Walling's wines of priceless vintage poured
forth, they became a little "high." The young lady who sat on
Montague's right was a Miss Vincent, a granddaughter of one of the
sugar-kings; she was dark-skinned and slender, and had appeared at a
recent lawn fete in the costume of an Indian maiden. The company amused
itself by selecting an Indian name for her; all sorts of absurd ones
were suggested, depending upon various intimate details of the young
lady's personality and habits. Robbie caused a laugh by suggesting
"Little Dewdrop"--it appeared that she had once been discovered writing
a poem about a dewdrop; some one else suggested "Little Raindrop," and
then Ollie brought down the house by exclaiming, "Little Raindrop in
the Mud-puddle!" A perfect gale of laughter swept over the company, and
it must have been a minute before they could recover their composure;
in order to appreciate the humour of the sally it was necessary to know
that Miss Vincent had "co