" prayed Bleecker Van Kraut; and
Heaven heard and kindly granted his prayer.

Presently, while the hot hum went on, and laces, silks, satins, brocades,
muslins, and broadcloth intermingled and changed places, so that Arthur
Merlin, whom Lawrence Newt had brought, declared the ball looked like a
shot silk or a salmon's belly--upon overhearing which, Mrs. Bleecker Van
Kraut, who was passing with Mr. Moultrie, looked unspeakable things--the
quick eyes of Fanny Newt encountered the restless orbs of Mrs. Dinks.

Alfred had left town for Boston on the very day on which Hope Wayne
had learned the story of her engagement. Neither his mother nor Hope,
therefore, had had an opportunity of asking an explanation.

"I am glad to see Miss Wayne with you to-night," said Fanny.

"My niece is her own mistress," replied Mrs. Dinks, in a sub-acid tone.

Fanny's eyes grew blacker and sharper in a moment. An Indian whose life
depends upon concealment from his pursuer is not more sensitive to the
softest dropping of the lightest leaf than was Fanny Newt's sagacity to
the slightest indication of discovery of her secret. There is trouble,
she said to herself, as she heard Mrs. Dinks's reply.

"Miss Wayne has been a recluse this winter," remarked Fanny, with
infinite blandness.

"Yes, she has had some kind of whim," replied Mrs. Dinks, shaking her
shoulders as if to settle her dress.

"We girls have all suspected, you know, of course, Mrs. Dinks," said Miss
Newt, with a very successful imitation of archness and a little bend of
the neck.

"Have you, indeed!" retorted Mrs. Dinks, in almost a bellicose manner.

"Why, yes, dear Mrs. Dinks; don't you remember at Saratoga--you know?"
continued Fanny, with imperturbable composure.

"What happened at Saratoga?" asked Mrs. Dinks, with smooth defiance
on her face, and conscious that she had never actually mentioned any
engagement between Alfred and Hope.

"Dear me! So many things happen at Saratoga," answered Fanny, bridling
like a pert miss of seventeen. "And when a girl has a handsome cousin,
it's very dangerous." Fanny Newt was determined to know where she was.

"Some girls are very silly and willful," tartly remarked Mrs. Dinks.

"I suppose," said Fanny, with extraordinary coolness, continuing the
_role_ of the arch maid of seventeen--"I suppose, if every thing one
hears is true, we may congratulate you, dear Mrs. Dinks, upon an
interesting event?" And Fanny raised her bouquet and sme