s Acacias.

3d. An appearance at the opera at ten in the evening in Mrs. Norton's
box.

The two novelties were immediately remarked, and appreciated as they
deserved to be, by the thirty or forty persons who constitute a sort of
mysterious tribunal, and who, in the name of all Paris, pass sentence
beyond appeal. These thirty or forty persons have, from time to time, the
fancy to declare "delicious" some woman who is manifestly ugly. That is
enough; she is "delicious" from that moment.

The beauty of the two sisters was unquestionable. In the morning, it was
their grace, their elegance, their distinction that attracted universal
admiration; in the afternoon, it was declared that their walk had the
freedom and ease of two young goddesses; in the evening, there was but
one cry of rapture at the ideal perfection of their shoulders. From that
moment, all Paris had for the two sisters the eyes of the little
pastry-cook of the Rue d'Amsterdam; all Paris repeated his 'Mazette',
though naturally with the variations and developments imposed by the
usages of the world.

Mrs. Scott's drawing-room immediately became the fashion. The habitues of
three or four great American houses transferred themselves to the Scotts,
who had three hundred persons at their first Wednesday. Their circle
increased; there was a little of everything to be found in their
set--Americans, Spaniards, Italians, Hungarians, Russians, and even
Parisians.

When she had related her history to the Abbe Constantin, Mrs. Scott had
not told all--one never does tell all. In a word, she was a coquette. Mr.
Scott had the most perfect confidence in his wife, and left her entire
liberty. He appeared very little; he was an honorable man, who felt a
vague embarrassment at having made such a marriage, at having married so
much money.

Having a taste for business, he had great pleasure in devoting himself
entirely to the administering of the two immense fortunes which were in
his hands, in continually increasing them, and in saying every year to
his wife and sister in-law:

"You are still richer than you were last year!"

Not content with watching with much prudence and ability over the
interests which he had left in America, he launched in France into large
speculations, and was as successful in Paris as he had been in New York.
In order to make money, the first thing is to have no need of it.

They made love to Mrs. Scott to an enormous extent; they made love to