iations. Julie Le Breton had but this one.
Society was with her both an instinct and an art. With the subtlest and
most intelligent ambition she had trained and improved her natural gift
for it during the last few years. And now, to the excitement of society
was added the excitement of a new and tyrannous feeling, for which
society was henceforth a mere weapon to be used.

She fumed and fretted for a while in silence. Every now and then she
would pause in front of one of the great mirrors of the room, and look
at the reflection of her tall thinness and the trailing satin of
her gown.

"The girl--so pretty, in a gossamer sort of way," The words echoed in
her mind, and vaguely, beside her own image in the glass, there rose a
vision of girlhood--pale, gold hair, pink cheeks, white frock--and she
turned away, miserable, from that conscious, that intellectual
distinction with which, in general, she could persuade herself to be
very fairly satisfied.

Hutton, the butler, came in to look at the fire.

"Will you be sitting here to-night, miss?"

"Oh no, Hutton. I shall go back to the library. I think the fire in my
own room is out."

"I had better put out these lights, anyway," said the man, looking round
the brilliant room.

"Oh, certainly," said Julie, and she began to assist him to do so.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her.

"Hutton!" She went up to him and spoke in a lower tone. "If the Duchess
of Crowborough comes to-night, I should very much like to see her, and I
know she wants to see me. Do you think it could possibly disturb Lady
Henry if you were to show her into the library for twenty minutes?"

The man considered.

"I don't think there could be anything heard up-stairs, miss. I should,
of course, warn her grace that her ladyship was ill."

"Well, then, Hutton, please ask her to come in," said Miss Le Breton,
hurriedly. "And, Hutton, Dr. Meredith and Mr. Montresor, you know how
disappointed they'll be not to find Lady Henry at home?"

"Yes, miss. They'll want to know how her ladyship is, no doubt. I'll
tell them you're in the library. And Captain Warkworth, miss?--he's
never missed a Wednesday evening for weeks."

"Oh, well, if he comes--you must judge for yourself, Hutton," said Miss
Le Breton, occupying herself with the electric switches. "I should like
to tell them all--the old friends--how Lady Henry is."

The butler's face was respectful discretion itself.

"Of course, miss. And shall I brin