e glanced about
for a face she knew, but none was visible, and she was just giving up
the search when she beheld Elmer Moffatt shouldering his way through the
crowd.

The sight was so surprising that she sat gazing with unconscious fixity
at the round black head and glossy reddish face which kept appearing and
disappearing through the intervening jungle of aigrettes. It was long
since she had either heard of Moffatt or thought about him, and now, in
her loneliness and exasperation, she took comfort in the sight of his
confident capable face, and felt a longing to hear his voice and unbosom
her woes to him. She had half risen to attract his attention when she
saw him turn back and make way for a companion, who was cautiously
steering her huge feathered hat between the tea-tables. The woman was
of the vulgarest type; everything about her was cheap and gaudy. But
Moffatt was obviously elated: he stood aside with a flourish to usher
her in, and as he followed he shot out a pink shirt-cuff with jewelled
links, and gave his moustache a gallant twist. Undine felt an
unreasoning irritation: she was vexed with him both for not being alone
and for being so vulgarly accompanied. As the couple seated themselves
she caught Moffatt's glance and saw him redden to the edge of his white
forehead; but he elaborately avoided her eye--he evidently wanted her to
see him do it--and proceeded to minister to his companion's wants with
an air of experienced gallantry.

The incident, trifling as it was, filled up the measure of Undine's
bitterness. She thought Moffatt pitiably ridiculous, and she hated him
for showing himself in such a light at that particular moment. Her mind
turned back to her own grievance, and she was just saying to herself
that nothing on earth should prevent her letting the Princess know what
she thought of her, when the lady in question at last appeared. She came
hurriedly forward and behind her Undine perceived the figure of a slight
quietly dressed man, as to whom her immediate impression was that he
made every one else in the room look as common as Moffatt. An instant
later the colour had flown to her face and her hand was in Raymond de
Chelles, while the Princess, murmuring: "Cimiez's such a long way off;
but you WILL forgive me?" looked into her eyes with a smile that added:
"See how I pay for what I get!"

Her first glance showed Undine how glad Raymond de Chelles was to see
her. Since their last meeting his admi