is childish, Rosa. There,
with this dress as good as new, and your beauty, you will be as much
admired, and perhaps hated, as your heart can desire."

"I am afraid not," said Rosa naively. "Oh, how I wish I had known a week
ago."

"I am very thankful you did not," said Staines dryly.

At ten o'clock Mrs. Staines was nearly dressed; at a quarter past ten
she demanded ten minutes; at half-past ten she sought a reprieve; at a
quarter to eleven, being assured that the street was full of carriages,
which had put down at Mrs. Lucas's, she consented to emerge; and in a
minute they were at the house.

They were shown first into a cloak-room, and then into a tea-room, and
then mounted the stairs. One servant took their names, and bawled them
to another four yards off, he to another about as near, and so on; and
they edged themselves into the room, not yet too crowded to move in.

They had not taken many steps, on the chance of finding their hostess,
when a slight buzz arose, and seemed to follow them.

Rosa wondered what that was; but only for a moment; she observed a tall,
stout, aquiline woman fix an eye of bitter, diabolical, malignant hatred
on her; and as she advanced, ugly noses were cocked disdainfully, and
scraggy shoulders elevated at the risk of sending the bones through the
leather, and a titter or two shot after her. A woman's instinct gave her
the key at once; the sexes had complimented her at sight; each in
their way; the men with respectful admiration; the women, with their
inflammable jealousy and ready hatred in another of the quality they
value most in themselves. But the country girl was too many for them:
she would neither see nor bear, but moved sedately on, and calmly
crushed them with her Southern beauty. Their dry, powdered faces could
not live by the side of her glowing skin, with nature's delicate gloss
upon it, and the rich blood mantling below it. The got-up beauties,
i.e., the majority, seemed literally to fade and wither as she passed.

Mrs. Lucas got to her, suppressed a slight maternal pang, having
daughters to marry, and took her line in a moment; here was a decoy
duck. Mrs. Lucas was all graciousness, made acquaintance, and took a
little turn with her, introducing her to one or two persons; among the
rest, to the malignant woman, Mrs. Barr. Mrs. Barr, on this, ceased to
look daggers and substituted icicles; but on the hateful beauty moving
away, dropped the icicles, and resumed the poniar