e the Duchess and Miss Le Breton, who was
at the piano. The child's other hand held up a morsel of biscuit
wherewith she directed the movements of her partner, a small black
spitz, of a slim and silky elegance, who, straining on his hind legs,
his eager attention fixed upon the biscuit, followed every movement of
his small mistress; while she, her large blue eyes now solemn, now
triumphant, her fair hair escaping from her cap in fluttering curls, her
dainty feet pointed, her dimpled arm upraised, repeated in living grace
the picture of her great-great-grandmother which hung on the wall in
front of her, a masterpiece from Reynolds's happiest hours.

Behind Mademoiselle Le Breton stood Jacob Delafield; while the Duchess,
in a low chair beside them, beat time gayly to the gavotte that
Mademoiselle Julie was playing and laughed encouragement and applause to
the child in front of her. She herself, with her cloud of fair hair, the
delicate pink and white of her skin, the laughing lips and small white
hands that rose and fell with the baby steps, seemed little more than a
child. Her pale blue dress, for which she had just exchanged her winter
walking-costume, fell round her in sweeping folds of lace and silk--a
French fairy dressed by Woerth, she was possessed by a wild gayety, and
her silvery laugh held the room.

Beside her, Julie Le Breton, very thin, very tall, very dark, was
laughing too. The eyes which Sir Wilfrid had lately seen so full of
pride were now alive with pleasure. Jacob Delafield, also, from behind,
grinned applause or shouted to the babe, "Brava, Tottie; well done!"
Three people, a baby, and a dog more intimately pleased with one
another's society it would have been difficult to discover.

"Sir Wilfrid!"

The Duchess sprang up astonished, and in a moment, to Sir Wilfrid's
chagrin, the little scene fell to pieces. The child dropped on the
floor, defending herself and the biscuit as best she could against the
wild snatches of the dog. Delafield composed his face in a moment to its
usual taciturnity. Mademoiselle Le Breton rose from the piano.

"No, no!" said Sir Wilfrid, stopping short and holding up a deprecating
hand. "Too bad! Go on."

"Oh, we were only fooling with baby!" said the Duchess. "It is high time
she went to her nurse. Sit here, Sir Wilfrid. Julie, will you take the
babe, or shall I ring for Mrs. Robson?"

"I'll take her," said Mademoiselle Le Breton.

She knelt down by the child, who ro