he resolved to
recur to the subject carelessly, if they met again, when she knew
him better. The fact of his having been at St. Ambrose made her
wish to know him better, and gave him a good start in her favor.
But for the moment she felt that she must change the subject; so,
looking up, she fixed on the first people who happened to be
passing, and asked who they were.

"Oh, nobody, constituents probably, or something of that sort."

"I don't understand."

"Why, you see, we are in a political house to-night. So you may
set down the people whom nobody knows, as troublesome
ten-pounders, or that kind of thing, who would he disagreeable at
the next election, if they were not asked."

"Then you do not include them in society?"

"By no manner of means."

"And I need not take the trouble to remember their faces?"

"Of course not. There is a sediment of rubbish at almost every
house. At the parties here it is political rubbish. To-morrow
night, at Lady Aubrey's--you will be there, I hope?"

"No, we do not know her."

"I am sorry for that. Well, there we shall have the scientific
rubbish; and at other houses you see queer artists, and writing
people. In fact, it is the rarest thing in the world to get a
party where there is nothing of the kind, and, after all, it is
rather amusing to watch the habits of the different species."

"Well, to me the rubbish, as you call it, seems much like the
rest. I am sure these people were ladies and gentlemen."

"Very likely," he said, lifting his eyebrows; "but you may see at
a glance that they have not the air of society. Here again, look
yourself. You can see that these are constituents."

To the horror of St. Cloud, the advancing constituents made
straight for his partner.

"Mary, my dear!" exclaimed the lady, "where have you been? We
have lost you ever since the last dance."

"I have been standing here, mamma," she said; and then, slipping
from her late partner's arm, she made a demure little bow, and
passed into the ball-room with her father and mother.

St. Cloud bit his lip, and swore at himself under his breath as
he looked after them. "What an infernal idiot I must have been
not to know that her people would be sure to turn out something
of that sort!" thought he. "By Jove, I'll go after them, and set
myself right before the little minx has time to think it over!"
He took a step or two towards the ball-room, but then thought
better of it, or his courage failed him.