do so.

The naval young gentleman and Valentine Corliss were the greatest
of all the lions among ladies that night; she had easily annexed
the lieutenant, and Corliss was hers already; though, for a
purpose, she had not yet been seen in company with him. He was
visibly "making an impression." His name, as he had said to
Richard Lindley, was held in honour in the town; and there was a
flavour of fancied romance in his absence since boyhood in unknown
parts, and his return now with a `foreign air' and a bow that
almost took the breath of some of the younger recipients. He was,
too, in his way, the handsomest man in the room; and the smiling,
open frankness of his look, the ready cordiality of his manner,
were found very winning. He caused plenty of flutter.

Cora waited till the evening was half over before she gave him any
visible attention. Then, during a silence of the music, between
two dances, she made him a negligent sign with her hand, the
gesture of one indifferently beckoning a creature who is certain
to come, and went on talking casually to the man who was with her.
Corliss was the length of the room from her, chatting gayly with a
large group of girls and women; but he immediately nodded to her,
made his bow to individuals of the group, and crossed the vacant,
glistening floor to her. Cora gave him no greeting whatever; she
dismissed her former partner and carelessly turned away with
Corliss to some chairs in a corner.

"Do you see that?" asked Vilas, leaning over the balcony railing
with Richard Lindley. "Look! She's showing the other girls--don't
you see? He's the New Man; she let 'em hope she wasn't going in
for him; a lot of them probably didn't even know that she knew
him. She sent him out on parade till they're all excited about
him; now she shows 'em he's entirely her property--and does it so
matter-of-factly that it's rubbed in twice as hard as if she
seemed to take some pains about it. He doesn't dance: she'll sit
out with him now, till they all read the tag she's put on him. She
says she hates being talked about. She lives on it!--so long as
it's envious. And did you see her with that chap from the navy?
Neptune thinks he's dallying with Venus perhaps, but he'll
get----"

Lindley looked at him commiseratingly. "I think I never saw
prettier decorations. Have you noticed, Ray? Must have used a
thousand chrysanthemums."

"Toreador!" whispered the other between his teeth, looking at
Corliss; then