asion with her "heart," was
impressively cordial to him. Mrs. Nailor had no idea of being left out.
She almost gushed with affection, as she made a place beside her on
a divan.

"You do not come to see all your friends," she said, with her winningest
smile and her most bird-like voice. "You appear to forget that you have
other old friends in New York besides Mrs. Lancaster and Mrs. Yorke.
Alice dear, you must not be selfish and engross all his time. You must
let him come and see me, at least, sometimes. Yes?" This with a
peculiarly innocent smile and tone.

Keith declared that he was in New York very rarely, and Mrs. Lancaster,
with a slightly heightened color, repudiated the idea that she had
anything to do with his movements.

"Oh, I hear of you here very often," declared Mrs. Nailor, roguishly. "I
have a little bird that brings me all the news about my friends."

"A little bird, indeed!" said Alice to herself, and to Keith later.
"I'll be bound she has not. If she had a bird, the old cat would have
eaten it."

"You are going to the Creamers' ball, of course?" pursued Mrs. Nailor.

No, Keith said: he was not going; he had been in New York only two days,
and, somehow, his advent had been overlooked. He was always finding
himself disappointed by discovering that New York was still a larger
place than New Leeds.

"Oh, but you must go! We must get you an invitation, mustn't we, Alice?"
Mrs. Nailor was always ready to promise anything, provided she could
make her engagement in partnership and then slip out and leave the
performance to her friend.

"Why, yes; there is not the least trouble about getting an invitation.
Mrs. Nailor can get you one easily."

Keith looked acquiescent.

"No, my dear; you write the note. You know Mrs. Creamer every bit as
well as I," protested Mrs. Nailor, "and I have already asked for at
least a dozen. There are Mrs. Wyndham and Lady Stobbs, who were here
last winter; and that charming Lord Huckster, who was at Newport last
summer; and I don't know how many more--so you will have to get the
invitation for Mr. Keith."

Keith, with some amusement, declared that he did not wish any trouble
taken; he had only said he would go because Mrs. Nailor had appeared to
desire it so much.

Next morning an invitation reached Keith,--he thought he knew through
whose intervention,--and he accepted it.

That evening, as Keith, about dusk, was going up the avenue on his way
home, a young girl pa