milliners; no
matter what follows, your dress must be attended to at once--first
impressions are everything. You look royally beautiful in all that you
wear, but I would much rather that my father saw you in a proper
costume. Suppose we drive to a milliner's first, and choose a handsome
dress, and all things suitable, then we can go to the Queen's Hotel; the
trunks can be sent after us. We can dine there; and when you have
dressed _a la_ Lady Chandos, we will go to Dunmore House, and carry
everything before us."

He did as he had said. They drove first to Madame Caroline's. Lord
Chandos was accustomed to the princely style of doing things. He sent
for madame, who looked up in wonder at his fair young face.

"This is my wife," he said, "Lady Chandos. We have been in the country
and she wants everything new, in your best style."

It seemed to him hours had passed when madame reappeared. Certainly he
hardly knew the superbly beautiful girl with her. Was it possible that
after all the poets had said about "beauty unadorned" that dress made
such a difference? It had changed his beautiful Leone into a beautiful
empress. Madame looked at him for approval.

"I hope your lordship is satisfied," she said; with the usual quickness
of her nation, she had detected the fact that this had been a runaway
marriage.

"I am more than satisfied," he replied.

Before him stood a tall, slender girl, whose superb figure was seen to
advantage in one of Worth's most fashionable dresses--trailing silk and
rich velvet, so skillfully intermixed with the most exquisite taste; a
lace bonnet that seemed to crown the rippling hair; pearl-gray gloves
that might have grown on the white hands. Her dress was simply perfect;
it was at once elegant and ladylike, rich and costly.

"I shall not be afraid to face my father now," he said, "I have a
talisman."

Yet his fair young face grew paler as they reached Dunmore House. It was
a terrible risk, and he knew it--a terrible ordeal. He realized what he
had done when the housekeeper told him the earl awaited him in the
dining-room. A decided sensation of nervousness came over him, and he
looked at the fresh, proud, glowing beauty of his young wife to reassure
himself. She was perfect, he felt that, and he was satisfied.

"Give me your hand, Leone," he said, and the touch of that little hand
gave him new courage.

He went in leading her, and the earl sprung from his seat in startling
amaze. Lord Chan