than she knew and crowned her so royally; and in the
like manner that she put on a dress of soft white muslin. It had no
adornment other than the lace which finished it at throat and wrists;
she looked most like a bride herself. So Basil thought, when he came to
fetch her; though he did not say his thought, fearing lest he might
graze something in her mind which would pain her. He often withheld
words for such a reason.

"Will it do?" said Diana, seeing him look at her.

"Too good for the occasion!" said Basil, shaking his head.

"Too much dressed?" said Diana. "I thought I must dress as much as I
could. Is it too much, Basil?"

"Nobody else will think so," said the minister with a queer smile.

"Do _you_ think so?"

"You are just as you ought to be. All the same, it is beyond the
company. Never mind. Come!"

Downstairs another sort of criticism.

"My dear Mrs. Masters! Not a bit of colour! You will be taken for the
bride yourself. All in white, except your beautiful hair! Wait, that
won't do; let me try if I can't improve things a little--do you
mind?--Just let me see how this will look." Diana submitted patiently,
and Mrs. Brandt officiously fastened a knot of blue ribband in her
bright hair. She was greatly pleased with the effect, which Diana could
not see. However, when they had reached the house they were going to,
and leaving the dressing-room Diana took her husband's arm to go down
to the company, he detained her to let Mr. and Mrs. Brandt pass on
before, and then with a quick and quiet touch of his fingers removed
the blue bow and put it in his pocket.

"Basil!" said Diana, smiling,--"she will miss it."

"So shall I. It commonized the whole thing."

There was nothing common left, as every one instantly recognised who
saw Diana that evening. A presence of such dignified grace, a face of
such lofty and yet innocent beauty, so sweet a movement and manner,
nobody there knew anything like it in Mainbridge. On the other hand, it
was Diana's first experience of a party beyond the style and degree of
Pleasant Valley parties. She found immediately that she was by much the
plainest dressed woman in the company; but she forgot to think of the
dresses, the people struck her with so much surprise.

Of course everybody was introduced to her; and everybody said the same
things.

They hoped she liked Mainbridge; they hoped she was coming to live
among them; Mr. Masters was coming to the church, wasn't he? and