rabesques,
though there were a few very good Eastern rugs. The furniture was
black-walnut, upholstered in crimson plush; the tables had marble
tops; the hangings were lace under heavily fringed crimson
lambrequins dependent from massive gilt mouldings. There were a
bronze clock and a whatnot and a few gilt-framed oil-paintings of the
conventional landscape type, contemporary with the furniture in
American best parlors. Still, there were a few things in the room
which directly excited comment on the part of the visitors. Mrs. Lee
pointed at some bronzes on the shelf.

"Those are theirs, aren't they?" said she.

"Yes, the Ranger girls had some very handsome Royal Worcester vases.
I guess James Ranger saw to it that those weren't left here."

Mrs. Van Dorn eyed the bronzes with outward respect, but she did not
admire them. Banbridge ladies, as a rule, unless they posed, did not
admire bronzes. She also viewed with some disapproval a number of
exquisite little Chinese ivory carvings on the whatnot. "Those are
theirs," said she. "The Ranger girls had some handsome bound books
and a silver card-receiver, and a bust of Clytie on top of the
whatnot. I suppose these are very expensive; I have always heard so.
I never priced any, but it always seemed to me that they hardly
showed the money."

"I suppose they have afternoon tea," said Mrs. Lee, regarding a
charming little inlaid tea-table, decked with Dresden.

"Perhaps so," replied Mrs. Van Dorn, doubtfully. "But I have noticed
that when tea-tables are so handsome, folks don't use them. They are
more for show. That cloth is beautiful."

"There is a tea-stain on it," declared Mrs. Lee, pointing
triumphantly.

"That is so," assented Mrs. Van Dorn. "They must use it." She looked
hard at the stain on the tea-cloth. "It's a pity to get tea on such a
cloth as that," said she. "It will never come out."

"Oh, I don't believe that will trouble them much," said Mrs. Lee,
with soft maliciousness. She indicated with the pointed toe of her
best calling-shoe, a hole in the corner of the resplendent Eastern
rug.

"Oh," returned Mrs. Van Dorn.

"I know it is considered desirable to have these Oriental things
worn," said Mrs. Lee, "but there is no sense in letting an expensive
rug like this wear out, and no good house-keeper would."

"Well, I agree with you," said Mrs. Van Dorn.

Presently they passed on to the other rooms. They made a long halt in
the dining-room.

"That must