the world on equal terms, after a long
dependency, accounted for it in seeming to excuse. The guests on the
occasion were Lady Pennon. Lady Singleby, Mr. Whitmonby, Mr. Percy
Dacier, Mr. Tonans;--'Some other woman,' Sir Lukin said, and himself. He
reported the cookery as matching the: conversation, and that was
princely; the wines not less--an extraordinary fact to note of a woman.
But to hear Whitmonby and Diana Warwick! How he told a story, neat as a
postman's knock, and she tipped it with a remark and ran to a second,
drawing in Lady Pennon, and then Dacier, 'and me!' cried Sir Lukin; 'she
made us all toss the ball from hand to hand, and all talk up to the mark;
and none of us noticed that we all went together to the drawing-room,
where we talked for another hour, and broke up fresher than we began.'

'That break between the men and the women after dinner was Tony's
aversion, and I am glad she has instituted a change,' said Lady Dunstane.

She heard also from Redworth of the unexampled concert of the guests at
Mrs. Warwick's dinner parties. He had met on one occasion the Esquarts,
the Pettigrews, Mr. Percy Dacier, and a Miss Paynham. Redworth had not a
word to say of the expensive household. Whatever Mrs. Warwick did was
evidently good to him. On another evening the party was composed of Lady
Pennon, Lord Larrian, Miss Paynham, a clever Mrs. Wollasley, Mr. Henry
Wilmers, and again Mr. Percy Dacier.

When Diana came to Copsley, Lady Dunstane remarked on the recurrence of
the name of Miss Paynham in the list of her guests.

'And Mr. Percy Dacier's too,' said Diana, smiling. 'They are invited each
for specific reasons. It pleases Lord Dannisburgh to hear that a way has
been found to enliven his nephew; and my little dinners are effective, I
think. He wakes. Yesterday evening he capped flying jests with Mr.
Sullivan Smith. But you speak of Miss. Paynham.' Diana lowered her voice
on half a dozen syllables, till the half-tones dropped into her steady
look. 'You approve, Emmy?'

The answer was: 'I do--true or not.'

'Between us two, dear, I fear! . . . In either case, she has been badly
used. Society is big engine enough to protect itself. I incline with
British juries to do rough justice to the victims. She has neither father
nor brother. I have had no confidences: but it wears the look of a
cowardly business. With two words in his ear, I could arm an Irishman to
do some work of chastisement: he would select the rasca