ger Paragon heard her--that she was
very well in both, thank God. And then, as her guests pressed in,
she passed him on rapidly to the tea and cake, and to such generous
supplies of cream as Mrs. Flounce, in her piety, might be pleased to
vouchsafe to him.

"What, Mr. O'Callaghan!" said Sir Lionel into Miss Todd's ear, in a
tone of well-bred wonder and triumphant admiration. "Mr. O'Callaghan
among the sinners! My dear Miss Todd, how will he like the
whist-tables?"

"If he does not like them, he must just do the other thing. If I know
anything of Miss Ruff, a whole college of O'Callaghans would not
keep her from the devil's books for five minutes longer. Oh, here is
Lady Ruth Revoke, my dear Lady Ruth, I am charmed to see you. When,
I wonder, shall we meet again at Baden Baden? Dear Baden Baden!
Flounce, green tea for Lady Ruth Revoke." And so Miss Todd continued
to do her duty.

What Miss Todd had said of her friend was quite true. Even then Miss
Ruff was standing over a card-table, with an open pack in her hands,
quite regardless of Mr. O'Callaghan. "Come, Lady Longspade," she
said, "we are wasting time sadly. It is ever so much after nine. I
know Miss Todd means us to begin. She told me so. Suppose we sit
down?"

But Lady Longspade merely muttered something and passed on. In
the first place, she was not quite so eager as was Miss Ruff; and
in the next, Miss Ruff was neither the partner nor the opponent
with whom she delighted to co-operate. Lady Longspade liked to
play first-fiddle at her own table; but Miss Ruff always played
first-fiddle at her table, let the others be whom they might; and she
very generally played her tunes altogether "con spirito."

Miss Ruff saw how Lady Longspade passed on, but she was
nothing disconcerted. She was used to that, and more than that.
"Highty-tighty!" was all she said. "Well, Mrs. Garded, I think we can
manage without her ladyship, can't we?" Mrs. Garded said that she
thought they might indeed, and stood by the table opposite to Miss
Ruff. This was Mrs. King Garded, a widow of great Littlebathian
repute, to whom as a partner over the green table few objected. She
was a careful, silent, painstaking player, one who carefully kept her
accounts, and knew well that the monthly balance depended mainly, not
on her good, but on her bad hands. She was an old friend, and an old
enemy of Miss Ruff's. The two would say very spiteful things to each
other, things incredible to persons no