on, wheeled about and took a
position near Evelyn, so that he could drop his valuable observations
into her ear as occasion offered.

To Philip Mrs. Mavick was civil, but she did not beam upon him, and
she did not detain him longer than to say, "Glad to see you." But
Evelyn--could Philip be deceived?--she gave him her hand cordially and
looked into his eyes trustfully, as she had the habit of doing in the
country, and as if it were a momentary relief to her to encounter in all
this parade a friend.

"I need not say that I am glad you could come. And oh" (there was time
only for a word), "I saw the announcement. Later, if you can, you will
tell me more about it."

Lord Montague stared at him as if to say, "Who the deuce are you?" and
as Philip met his gaze he thought, "No, he hasn't the manner of a stable
boy; no one but a born nobleman could be so confident with women and so
supercilious to men."

But my lord, was little in his thought. It was the face of Evelyn that
he saw, and the dainty little figure; the warmth of the little hand
still thrilled him. So simple, and only a bunch of violets in her
corsage for all ornament! The clear, dark complexion, the sweet mouth,
the wonderful eyes! What could Jenks mean by intimating that she was
plain?

Philip drifted along with the crowd. He was very much alone. And
he enjoyed his solitude. A word and a smile now and then from an
acquaintance did not tempt him to come out of his seclusion. The gay
scene pleased him. He looked for a moment into the ballroom. At another
time he would have tried his fortune in the whirl. But now he looked on
as at a spectacle from which he was detached. He had had his moment and
he waited for another. The voluptuous music, the fascinating toilets,
the beautiful faces, the graceful forms that were woven together in this
shifting kaleidoscope, were, indeed, a part of his beautiful dream.
But how unreal they all were! There was no doubt that Evelyn's eyes had
kindled for him as for no one else whom she had greeted. She singled
him out in all this crush, her look, the cordial pressure of her hand,
conveyed the feeling of comradeship and understanding. This was enough
to fill his thought with foolish anticipations. Is there any being quite
so happy, quite so stupid, as a lover? A lover, who hopes everything and
fears everything, who goes in an instant from the heights of bliss to
the depths of despair.

When the "reception" was over and the com