a
diamond arrow in her lustrous hair.

What an English nosegay they made, to be sure, as they stood in the back
of the room while paterfamilias approached, and calling each in turn,
gave her a lovely bouquet from a huge basket held by the butler.

Everybody's flowers matched everybody's frock to perfection; those of
the h'orphan nieces were just as beautiful as those of the daughters,
and it is no wonder that the English nosegay descended upon
paterfamilias, bore him into the passage, and if they did not kiss
him soundly, why did he come back all rosy and crumpled, smoothing his
dishevelled hair, and smiling at Lady Brighthelmston? We speedily named
the girls Rose, Mignonette, Violet, and Celandine, each after the colour
of her frock.

"But there are only five, and there ought to be six," whispered
Salemina, as if she expected to be heard across the street.

"One--two--three--four--five, you are right," said Mr. Beresford. "The
plainest of the lot must be staying in Wales with a maiden aunt who has
a lot of money to leave. The old lady isn't so ill that they can't give
the ball, but just ill enough so that she may make her will wrong if
left alone; poor girl, to be plain, and then to miss such a ball as
this,--hello! the first guest! He is on time to be sure; I hate to be
first, don't you?"

The first guest was a strikingly handsome fellow, irreproachably dressed
and unmistakably nervous.

"He is afraid he is too early!"

"He is afraid that if he waits he'll be too late!"

"He doesn't want the driver to stop directly in front of the door."

"He has something beside him on the seat of the hansom."

"The tissue paper has blown off: it is flowers."

"It is a piece! Jove, this IS a rum ball!"

"What IS the thing? No wonder he doesn't drive up to the door and go in
with it!"

"It is a HARP, as sure as I am alive!"

Then electrically from Francesca, "It is Patricia's Irish lover! I
forget his name."

"Rory!"

"Shamus!"

"Michael!"

"Patrick!"

"Terence!"

"Hush!" she exclaimed at this chorus of Hibernian Christian names, "it
is Patricia's undeclared impecunious lover. He is afraid that she won't
know his gift is a harp, and afraid that the other girls will. He feared
to send it, lest one of the sisters or h'orphan nieces should get it; it
is frightful to love one of six, and the cards are always slipping off,
and the wrong girl is always receiving your love-token or your offer of
marriage."

"A