duchess his arm, and the company went into the dining
room in pairs "like the animals into Noah's Ark," as Dick whispered to
Miss Angel, who, to his great delight, he was taking in.

It was a large party, and a brilliant one. The great room in the glory
of its new adornment was worthy of the house and its guests. If the
truth must be told, Nell was at first a little nervous, though it was
not her first experience, as we know, of an aristocratic dinner party.
She was seated on the left of Drake, and on pretense of moving one of
her glasses, he succeeded in touching her hand, and, as he did so, he
looked at her as a man looks who sees joy before him and an abiding
happiness; then he turned and talked to the duchess, for he knew that
Nell would like to be left alone for a few minutes.

It was impossible for any party, however large and aristocratic, over
which the countess presided, to be dull, and very soon they were all
talking, and some of them laughing, for there were two young persons
present, at any rate, who were by no means overawed by the splendor of
the appointments or the rank of the guests. Dick would have found it
possible to be merry at a Quakers' meeting, and Miss Angel, though she
tried to preserve a demure, not to say repressive, mood, very soon
yielded to Dick's light-hearted influence; and not only she, but those
near them, were kept by him in ripples of laughter.

It was just what Drake wanted, and he looked down the table toward Dick
with approval and gratitude.

"Dick hasn't changed a bit--thank Heaven!" he said to Nell.

"Your brother's the most charming boy I've met for a very long time,"
remarked the duchess. "Of course, he will come with you and the rest to
me on the ninth. I am so glad to see Mr. Falconer here, and I hope he
will be well enough to join us!"

Nell glanced at Falconer with a sisterly regard, and Drake said:

"We'll bring him, if we have to pack him in cotton wool!"

The dinner was, inevitably, a lengthy one; but it was never for a moment
dull, and the countess almost forgot Lady Luce as she realized the
success of her party. She felt as a captain of a vessel feels when he
has left behind him the perilous rocks on which he had nearly struck.
Drake, too, almost forgot the ordeal through which he had just passed.
How could he do otherwise when his darling was within reach of his hand,
under his roof, at his table? The ladies remained some time after the
appearance of the dess