of intimacy. "I think," turning and surveying her friend calmly
from head to foot, "that it is the very worst I have ever seen you wear,
and that is saying a great deal. It makes you look like green cheese. For
Heaven's sake, put some other color on!"

"Not I." Edith was quite unruffled. "You know perfectly well, Bea, that
if I wore what you and Kitty and the rest of the world would call decent
clothes, that every one would say: 'How plain poor Edith Symmes is! She
dresses well, but that can not make up for her lack of beauty,' But when
I wear these perfectly dreadful, glaring things that I love, what is said
of me? 'What a stylish, even a pretty woman, Edith Symmes might be, if
she didn't wear such criminal clothes,' Don't you see, you handsome
idiot, that I please myself and score at the same time?"

Not being able to refute these plausible arguments, Bea contented herself
with stubbornly maintaining her point. "But red, Edith, why red? It is a
nightmare. Who ever heard of a scarlet butterfly?"

Edith laughed lightly. "I invented one just for this occasion. Such a
compliment to Mr. Hayden." Her serenity was not to be marred, and
fortunately, before the discussion could go further, dinner was
announced.

The dining-room Kitty had transformed into a tropical bower. From an
irregular lattice of boughs across the ceiling orchids fell as if they
had grown and bloomed there. These were interspersed with long trails of
Spanish moss in which the lights were cunningly disposed. Orchids swayed,
too, from the tops of the tall palms which lined the walls, and above the
bright mass of the same flowers on the table floated on invisible wires
the most vivid and beautiful tropical butterflies.

Hayden was an admirable host. Possessing the faculty of enjoyment
himself, he succeeded in communicating it to his guests; and the dinner,
as it progressed, was an undeniable success. Marcia, on his right hand,
had apparently thrown off the oppression or worry from which she had
suffered earlier in the evening, and, according to Mrs. Habersham all
through the afternoon; and her evident enjoyment was immensely reassuring
to Hayden, for it seemed to him both natural and spontaneous.

"Bobby," said Kitty, a few moments before they left the table, "I'm
really afraid after this that the rest of the evening will be a dreadful
let-down. I think if we showed the part of wisdom we'd all fly home as
soon as we get up and keep intact a bright memor