nvitations
nowadays I believe are never accepted at once, but are kept open as
long as possible to see if something better won't turn up. Then came
Mrs. Romedek and Mr. Westington; he looking bored to death, and she as
if she didn't know where she was at. Then Bobbie Lawsher, who writes
books and operettas and things--rather amusing he is, but becoming more
and more of a snob every day. It's bad enough to see a woman straining
every nerve to get into society, but when you see a man it's worse than
ridiculous. I met him at a smart party the other night, and he stuck by
me for hours, asking who everybody was till I lost my patience and told
him I couldn't be a Blue Book for him or anybody, and he would either
have to dance with me at once or go to some one else with his
questions. I never knew any one who could bring in the names of as many
smart people in one short remark as Bobbie can. If you happen to ask
him what time it is, you could make a wager that, in his answer, in a
perfectly natural way, he will mention familiarly three smart society
women (calling one at least by her first name). Of course he does get
asked a great deal, because he's little more than a snub-cushion--holds
any amount of them as easily as pins. Besides he goes to afternoon
bores, like Teas and At Homes and Days, for which free and untrammelled
men can only be obtained by subterfuge and trick or some extraordinary
bribe. To a young man like Bobbie Lawsher afternoon affairs are a sort
of happy hunting ground, a social grab bag, where he can never be sure
there isn't a dinner invitation, or one for the opera, or a luncheon,
to be secured if one is clever and careful. Why, when a woman has a man
guest back out at the last moment from a dinner, the first thing she
does is to rush off to any At Home, that's going on, with the fairly
confident expectation of finding Bobbie Lawsher and making him fill her
vacancy. Bobbie has accomplishments of a certain sort, can sing a
pretty little song in a pretty little way, and can pass a tea cup
without spilling, and drink tea himself, and can hang around when he's
wanted, and be got rid of easily when he isn't. He is a sort of society
errand boy, and very useful. I take it back about his having
accomplishments--a better word for them is _conveniences_!

Well, on the other side of Bobbie was Mrs. ----, red in the face, so
angry she was asked to meet Madame Romedek, talking with poor Bobbie in
a sharp, spasmodic s