gazing up at her with undisguised admiration, said to
her the prettiest, daintiest, most effusive things possible. Rose--who
with all her lithe shapeliness, looked over-tall and even a trifle
stiff beside the tiny bird-like Lady Helen--took the advances of Hugh
Flaxman's sister with a pretty flush of flattered pride. She looked
down at the small radiant creature with soft and friendly eyes, and Hugh
Flaxman stood by, so far well pleased.

Then he went off to fetch Mr. Denman, the hero of the evening, to be
introduced to her. While he was away, Agnes, who was behind her sister,
saw Rose's eyes wandering from Lady Helen to the door, restlessly
searching and then returning.

Presently through the growing crowd round the entrance Agnes spied a
well-known form emerging.

'Mr. Langham! But Rose never told me he was to be here to-night, and how
dreadful he looks!'

Agnes was so startled that her eyes followed Langham closely across the
room. Rose had seen him at once; and they had greeted each other across
the crowd. Agnes was absorbed, trying to analyze what had struck her
so. The face was always melancholy, always pale, but to-night it was
ghastly, and from the whiteness of cheek and brow, the eyes, the jet
black hair stood out in intense and disagreeable relief. She would have
remarked on it to Rose, but that Rose's attention was claimed by the
young thought-reader, Mr. Denman, whom Mr. Flaxman had brought up.
Mr. Denman was a fair-haired young Hercules, whose tremulous, agitated
manner contrasted oddly with his athlete's looks. Among other magnetisms
he was clearly open to the magnetism of women, and he stayed talking
to Rose,--staring furtively at her the while from under his heavy
lids,--much longer than the girl thought fair.

'Have you seen any experiments in the working of this new force before?'
he asked her with a solemnity which sat oddly on his commonplace bearded
face.

'Oh, yes!' she said flippantly. 'We have tried it sometimes. It is very
good fun.'

He drew himself up. 'Not _fun_,' he said impressively; 'not fun.
Thought-reading wants seriousness; the most tremendous things depend
upon it. If established it will revolutionize our whole views of life.
Even a Huxley could not deny that!'

'She studied him with mocking eyes. 'Do you imagine this party to-night
looks very serious?'

His face fell.

'One can seldom get people to take it scientifically,' he admitted,
sighing. Rose, impatiently, thought