to
which he had attained she felt that in a certain sense she had attained
herself, on the principle of _facit per alium, facit per se._ In the
social position she had reached it was a pleasure to know that Harvard,
Europe, and money had given Carli a refinement that made up in some
measure for her own deficiencies.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" he asked, breaking off in the
midst of the cruel ecstasy of the daughter of Herodias, and swinging
himself back, so as to confront her.

"I'm going to give a little tea," Mrs. Wappinger answered, with
decision; "a _tay antime,_ as the French say. I shall have these two
Eveleths--or whatever their name is--Lucilla van Tromp, and Derek and
Dorothea Pruyn."

"You may accomplish the first and the last. You'll find it difficult to
fill in the middle. To say nothing of the old girl, Derek Pruyn is too
busy for teas--_intime_, or otherwise."

"I'm going to have him," she stated, with energy.

"You go round and tell Dorothea she's got to bring him--she's just got
to, that's all. He'll come--I know he will. There are forces at work
here that you and I don't see, and if something doesn't happen, my name
isn't Clara Wappinger."

With this mysterious saying she rose, to leave Carli to his music.

"How very occult!" he laughed.

"Nobody knows James van Tromp better than I do," she declared, with
pride, turning on the threshold, "and he doesn't write that way unless
he has a plan in mind. You tell Dorothea what I say. Let me see! To-day
is Tuesday; the _Picardie_ will get in on Saturday; you'll see Dorothea
on Sunday; and we'll have the tea on Thursday next."

With her habitual air of triumphant decision Mrs. Wappinger departed,
and the incident closed.

V

It must be admitted that Diane Eveleth found her entry into the Land of
Promise rather disappointing. To outward things she paid comparatively
little heed. The general aspect of New York was what she had seen in
pictures and expected. That habits and customs should be strange to her
she took as a matter of course; and she was too eager for a welcome to
be critical. As a Frenchwoman, she was neither curious nor analytical
regarding that which lay outside her immediate sphere of interest, and
she instituted no comparisons between Broadway and the boulevards, or
any of the tall buildings and Notre Dame. It may be confessed that her
thoughts went scarcely beyond the human element, with its possible
bearing