nge and stirring to her
feeling in the intensity and intimacy of his tone. Her bright look caught
his again, and he believed for one wild moment that the eyelids sank and
fluttered. He lost all consciousness of the crowd; his whole soul seemed
concentrated on that one instant. Surely she must feel it, or love is
indeed impotent!

But no,--it was all a delusion! she moved away from him, and the
estranging present rushed in again between them.

'It has been M. de Chateauvieux's doing, almost all of it,' she said
eagerly, with a change of voice, 'and your sister's. Will you come and
see me some time and talk about some of the Paris people? Oh, I am
wanted! But first you must be introduced to Macias. Wasn't he good? It
was such an excellent choice of Mr. Wallace's. There he is,-and there is
his wife, that pretty little dark woman.'

Kendal followed her mechanically, and presently found himself talking
nothings to Mr. Harting, who, gorgeous in his Spanish dress, was
receiving the congratulations which poured in upon him with a pleasant
mixture of good manners and natural elation. A little farther on he
stumbled upon Forbes and the Stuarts, Mrs. Stuart as sparkling and fresh
as ever, a suggestive contrast in her American crispness and prettiness
to the high-bred distinction of Madame de Chateauvieux, who was standing
near her.

'Well, my dear fellow,' said Forbes, catching hold of him, 'how is that
critical demon of yours? Is he scotched yet?'

'He is almost at his last gasp,' said Kendal, with a ghostly smile, and a
reckless impulse to talk which seemed to him his salvation. 'He was never
as vicious a creature as you thought him, and Miss Bretherton has had no
difficulty in slaying him. But that hall was a masterpiece, Forbes! How
have your pictures got on with all this?'

'I haven't touched a brush since I came back from Switzerland, except to
make sketches for this thing. Oh, it's been a terrible business! Mr.
Worrall's hair has turned gray over the expenses of it; however, she and
I would have our way, and it's all right--the play will run for twelve
months, if she chooses, easily.'

Near by were the Worralls, looking a little sulky, as Kendal fancied, in
the midst of this great inrush of the London world, which was sweeping
their niece from them into a position of superiority and independence
they were not at all prepared to see her take up; Nothing, indeed, could
be prettier than her manner to them whenever she