er
face. She put up her hand, lightly fingered the curls on her forehead,
smiled at me, and turned again to her salad. I laughed. She looked up
again quickly.

"You laugh at me?" she asked, not resentfully, but with an air of frank
inquiry.

"No, at the human race, mademoiselle. It is we, not you, who excite
laughter."

She regarded me with apparent curiosity, and gradually began to smile.
"Why?" she asked, just showing her level white teeth.

"You haven't learned yet?"

William Adolphus began to speak to her. You would have sworn she had a
deaf ear that side. She had finished her salad and sat turned toward me.
If a very white shoulder could at all console my brother-in-law, he had
an admirable view of one. Apparently he was not content; he pushed his
chair back with a noise and called to me:

"Shall we smoke? I have eaten enough."

"With all my heart," I answered.

"In fact he has eaten too much," observed Coralie, by no means in an
"aside." "He and I--we both eat too much. He is fat already. I shall
be."

"You are talkative to-night, mademoiselle," said Varvilliers, who was
offering her a cigarette.

"I believe there is to-night some one worth talking to," she retorted.

"Alas, and not last night?" he cried in affected despair.

I, however, thinking that it would ill become me to eat my
brother-in-law's supper and then spoil his sport, bowed to the lady and
crossed over to where Wetter was standing. Near him was a group of young
men laughing and talking with Madame Briande; he seemed to pay little
heed to their chatter. Varvilliers followed me, and William Adolphus sat
down by Coralie. But I had not been talking to Wetter more than two
minutes when the lady rose, left my brother-in-law, and came to join our
group. She took her stand close by me. Half attracted and half repelled
by her, young enough still to be shy, I was much embarrassed; the other
men were smiling--I must except William Adolphus--and Varvilliers
whispered to me:

"_Les beaux yeux de votre couronne, sire._"

Coralie overheard his warning; she was not in the least put out.

"Don't disturb yourself," she said to Varvilliers. "The King is not a
fool; he doesn't suppose that people forget what he is."

"You've judged him on short acquaintance," said Varvilliers, rather
vexed.

"It's my way; and why shouldn't I give my opinion?"

Wetter laughed, and said to the Frenchman:

"You had better not ask for your character, I think, Vico