r. By the way, that brother of yours is
a whole team, with a bull-pup under the wagon. Does he let old Pink boss
him around as she does you?"

"It's a fine night," I said.

"Delightful! I say, Charlie, it must be a terrible bore to lug the old
woman around to all these shindigs with you, hey?"

"What do you think about the State election?" I demanded.

"The Republicans have got a dead sure thing, I'll lay you a V. She has
bulldozed you till you don't dare open your head, my boy. Yours is one
of the saddest and most malignant cases of mother-in-law I ever struck."

"Fred," I said, in hopes of bringing his tirade to an end, "your
friendship is slightly oppressive. Confine your attentions to your own
grievances. I will take care of mine."

"Ah! at last you acknowledge that you have one. Confess, now, that old
Pink is a confounded nuisance!"

"Well, then, yes, she is! Does that satisfy you, scandal-monger? Now,
for Heaven's sake, shut up!"

I heard a brisk rustling of silk just at my left and a little back of
where I sat, and some one passed toward the front parlor.

"By Jove!" ejaculated Fred, looking intently. "It's old Pink herself,
and I hope she got the benefit of what we said about her. I had no idea
she was sitting near us."

"What _we_ said about her!" I repeated. "I didn't say anything about
her."

"Yes, you did. Ha, ha! You said she was a confounded nuisance!"

I shuddered.

"Oh, well, brace up! Perhaps she didn't hear that impious remark," said
Fred, chuckling maliciously. "Or if she did, perhaps she'll let you off
easy: only a few hours in the dark closet, or bread and water for a day
or two."

"Confound your mischief-making tongue!" I growled. "Here comes Miss Van
Duzen to bid you quit spreading scandal about her guests."

Miss Van Duzen, on the contrary, only wished Mr. Marston to secure a
partner for the Lanciers, which he promptly did.

I sat brooding while the dancing went on, and was somewhat astonished,
when it was over, to see George making for my corner.

"How's this?" he said. "Didn't you go home with them?"

"With them? What! You don't mean to say--"

"But I do, though! Bessie and mother made their adieux half an hour
ago, and I thought of course you had gone home with them, as nothing was
said to me. This is a pretty go! Bessie must have been ill."

"Nonsense!" I exclaimed. "I should have known if that was the case.
Where's Miss Van?"

"I saw her. She thought it was odd, bu