ngly
at the intruder. "I can't say much for the champagne--ah, not bad, you
know--but I always said that your terrapin isn't half so nasty as it
looks." And his lordship laughed most good-humoredly, as if he were
paying the American nation a deserved compliment.

"Yes," said Philip, "we have to depend upon France for the champagne,
but the terrapin is native."

"Quite so, and devilish good! That ain't bad, 'depend upon France for
the champagne!' There is nothing like your American humor, Miss Mavick."

"It needs an Englishman to appreciate it," replied Evelyn, with a
twinkle in her eyes which was lost upon her guest.

In the midst of these courtesies Philip bowed himself away. The party
was over for him, though he wandered about for a while, was attracted
again by the music to the ballroom, and did find there a dinner
acquaintance with whom he took a turn. The lady must have thought him a
very uninteresting or a very absent-minded companion.

As for Lord Montague, after he had what he called a "go" in the
dancing-room, he found his way back to the buffet in the supper-room,
and the historian says that he greatly enjoyed himself, and was very
amusing, and that he cultivated the friendship of an obliging waiter
early in the morning, who conducted his lordship to his cab.

XVII

The morning after The Puritan Nun was out, as Philip sat at his office
desk, conscious that the eyes of the world were on him, Mr. Mavick
entered, bowed to him absent-mindedly, and was shown into Mr. Hunt's
room.

Philip had dreaded to come to the office that morning and encounter the
inquisition and perhaps the compliments of his fellow-clerks. He had
seen his name in staring capitals in the book-seller's window as he came
down, and he felt that it was shamefully exposed to the public gaze, and
that everybody had seen it. The clerks, however, gave no sign that the
event had disturbed them. He had encountered many people he knew on the
street, but there had been no recognition of his leap into notoriety.
Not a fellow in the club, where he had stopped a moment, had treated him
with any increased interest or deference. In the office only one person
seemed aware of his extraordinary good fortune. Mr. Tweedle had come
to the desk and offered his hand in his usual conciliatory and unctuous
manner.

"I see by the paper, Mr. Burnett, that we are an author. Let me
congratulate you. Mrs. Tweedle told me not to come home without bringing
yo