ogress was not without incidents--now an acquaintance, now a
celebrity, now a woolly-haired princess, now a jewelled Oriental, met
them as they went; but at last they turned out of the crowd and passed
into a room nearly dark, quite empty, and cool. "Nobody has found it out
yet," said Helen, sinking into a chair with a sigh of relief.

They remained silent, enjoying the quiet and fresh air. A large window
opening on a balcony occupied the greater part of one side of the room,
and a glimmer of reflected light, and a murmur of voices, came from the
windows of the great drawing-room which also opened to the balcony. But
both light and sound were subdued to the pleasantest softness, and the
night-air was still and sweet; Mary's seat was beside the window, Mrs.
Churchill sat further back towards the middle of the room.

Presently there was a sound of steps on the balcony. Helen moved
impatiently. "Somebody coming," she murmured.

Mary involuntarily raised her hand as a sign that she should be silent;
a voice had begun to speak which she recognized with surprise. It was
that of their acquaintance of the morning. He was speaking in French,
with a bad accent, and a voice which sounded even more disagreeable than
it had done when he spoke to Helen.

"Bah! one can breathe here. What a crowd! And, my good friend, allow me
to remind you that you are not doing your duty. If you don't look a
little more sharply after our interest we shall quarrel."

"What am I to do?" another voice answered, and this time the accent was
perfect, and the tones marvellously harmonious. "You bring me here, into
this horrible crowd, where I am stifled, and I do not see what I can do
except answer everybody who speaks to me, and try to look as if I were
not longing to get away."

"Do?" repeated the first. "Why, _pose_ a little. I wish I had made you
come in paint and feathers. I believe my lady would have liked it
better."

They had been drawing nearer as they spoke, and now stepped into the
room. Bailey, who was first, passed Mary without seeing her, but the
gleam of Mrs. Churchill's dress caught his eye, and he paused abruptly.

Helen rose and moved a step towards him.

"Mr. Bailey," she said graciously, "you must allow me to introduce myself
to you now that chance has given me the opportunity. I am Mrs.
Churchill, and I am glad to be able to repeat my thanks for the service
you did me this morning."

Upon this Bailey came forward; he had had