as about the dance," said Jack to his
cousin. "It is the quietest thing out,--almost as grave as a minuet.
It's very pretty, but people here will find it too slow." It may be
doubted whether he did much good by this explanation. Lord George
thought that he was lying, though he had almost thought before that
Mrs. Houghton was lying on the other side. But it was true at any rate
that after all that had passed a special arrangement had been made for
his wife to dance with Jack De Baron. And then his wife had been called
by implication, "One of the team."

Jack got up to go, but before he left the room Aunt Ju was there, and
then that sinful old woman Mrs. Montacute Jones herself. "My dear," she
said in answer to a question from Mrs. Houghton about the dance, "I am
not going to tell anybody anything about it. I don't know why it should
have been talked of. Four couple of good looking young people are going
to amuse themselves, and I have no doubt that those who look on will be
very much gratified." Oh, that his wife, that Lady Mary Germain, should
be talked of as one of "four couple of good looking young people," and
that she should be about to dance with Jack De Baron, in order that
strangers might be gratified by looking at her!

It was manifest that nothing special could be said to Mrs. Houghton on
that occasion, as one person came after another. She looked all the
while perfectly disembarrassed. Nobody could have imagined that she was
in the presence of the man whose love was all the world to her. When he
got up to take his leave she parted from him as though he were no more
to her than he ought to have been. And indeed he too had for the time
been freed from the flurry of his affair with Mrs. Houghton by the
other flurry occasioned by the Moldavian dance. The new dance was
called, he had been told, the Kappa-kappa. There was something in the
name suggestive of another dance of which he had heard,--and he was
very unhappy.

He found the Dean in Munster Court when he reached his own house. The
first word that his wife spoke to him was about the ball. "George, papa
is going with me on Friday to Mrs. Montacute Jones'."

"I hope he will like it," said Lord George.

"I wish you would come."

"Why should I go? I have already said that I would not."

"As for the invitation that does not signify in the least. Do come just
about twelve o'clock. We've got up such a dance, and I should like you
to come and see it."

"Who