e requested the honour of my company at dinner. I was a little
surprised, because though I had been to balls at the Goldmores' house
and had made my bow at the top of the stairs, I did not really know
them. They had newly arrived in London, with a great fortune made in
clay pipes and dolls' eyes, and were making their way by entertaining
lavishly. However, it was very kind of them to ask me to dinner, and I
readily accepted. The appointed evening came, and I arrived rather late.
In an immense drawing-room there were some thirty guests assembled, and,
as I looked round, I could not see a single face which I had ever seen
before. Worse than that, it was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Goldmore did
not know me. They heard my name announced, received me quite politely,
and then retired into a window, where their darkling undertones,
enquiring glances, and heads negatively shaken, made it only too clear
that they were asking one another who on earth the last arrival was.
However, their embarrassment and mine was soon relieved by the
announcement of dinner. As there were more male guests than women, there
was no need to give me a partner; so we all swept downstairs in a
promiscuous flood, and soon were making the vital choice between
_bisque_ and _consomme_. Eating my dinner, I revolved my plans, and
decided to make a clean breast of it. So, when we went up into the
drawing-room, I made straight for my hostess. "I feel sure," I said,
"that you and Mr. Goldmore did not expect me to-night." "Oh," was the
gracious reply, "I hope there was nothing in our manner which made you
feel that you were unwelcome." "Nothing," I replied, "could have been
kinder than your manner, but one has a certain social instinct which
tells one when one has made a mistake. And yet what the mistake was I
cannot guess. I am sure it is the right house and the right evening--Do
please explain." "Well," said Mrs. Goldmore, "as you have found out so
much, I think I had better tell you all. _We were not expecting you._ We
have not even now the pleasure of knowing who you are. We were
expecting Dr. Russell, the _Times_ Correspondent, and all these ladies
and gentlemen have been asked to meet him." So it was not my mistake
after all, and I promptly rallied my forces. "The card certainly had my
first name, initials, and address all right, so there was nothing to
make me suspect a mistake. Besides, I should have thought that everyone
who knew the _Times_ Russell knew tha