in her teens, who looked at the world through lorgnettes and with

the keenest interest. It was thought and said that she was
intellectual; it was suspected of her that she wrote under a

nom de guerre. She had come with a gentleman by the name of Gouvernail,
connected with one of the daily papers, of whom nothing special could be said,

except that he was observant and seemed quiet and inoffensive. Edna herself
made the tenth, and at half-past eight they seated themselves at table,

Arobin and Monsieur Ratignolle on either side of their hostess.
Mrs. Highcamp sat between Arobin and Victor Lebrun. Then came

Mrs. Merriman, Mr. Gouvernail, Miss Mayblunt, Mr. Merriman, and
Mademoiselle Reisz next to Monsieur Ratignolle.

There was something extremelygorgeous about the appearance of
the table, an effect of splendor conveyed by a cover of pale yellow

satin under strips of lace-work. There were wax candles, in
massive brass candelabra, burning softly under yellow silk shades;

full, fragrant roses, yellow and red, abounded. There were silver
and gold, as she had said there would be, and crystal which

glittered like the gems which the women wore.
The ordinary stiff dining chairs had been discarded for the

occasion and replaced by the most commodious and luxurious which
could be collected throughout the house. Mademoiselle Reisz, being

exceedingly diminutive, was elevated upon cushions, as small
children are sometimes hoisted at table upon bulky volumes.

"Something new, Edna?" exclaimed Miss Mayblunt, with lorgnette
directed toward a magnificentcluster of diamonds that sparkled,

that almost sputtered, in Edna's hair, just over the center of her
forehead.

"Quite new; `brand' new, in fact; a present from my husband.
It arrived this morning from New York. I may as well admit that

this is my birthday, and that I am twenty-nine. In good time
I expect you to drink my health. Meanwhile, I shall ask you

to begin with this cocktail, composed--would you say `composed?'"
with an appeal to Miss Mayblunt--"composed by my father

in honor of Sister Janet's wedding."
Before each guest stood a tiny glass that looked and sparkled

like a garnet gem.
"Then, all things considered," spoke Arobin, "it might not be

amiss to start out by drinking the Colonel's health in the cocktail
which he composed, on the birthday of the most charming of

women--the daughter whom he invented."
Mr. Merriman's laugh at this sally was such a genuine outburst

and so contagious that it started the dinner with an agreeable
swing that never slackened.

Miss Mayblunt begged to be allowed to keep her cocktail
untouched before her, just to look at. The color was marvelous!

She could compare it to nothing she had ever seen, and the garnet
lights which it emitted were unspeakably rare. She pronounced the

Colonel an artist, and stuck to it.
Monsieur Ratignolle was prepared to take things seriously;

the mets, the entre-mets, the service, the decorations, even
the people. He looked up from his pompano and inquired of Arobin

if he were related to the gentleman of that name who formed one of
the firm of Laitner and Arobin, lawyers. The young man admitted

that Laitner was a warm personal friend, who permitted Arobin's
name to decorate the firm's letterheads and to appear upon a

shingle that graced Perdido Street.
"There are so many inquisitive people and institutions

abounding," said Arobin, "that one is really forced as a matter of
convenience these days to assume the virtue of an occupation if he

has it not."
Monsieur Ratignolle stared a little, and turned to ask

Mademoiselle Reisz if she considered the symphony concerts up to
the standard which had been set the previous winter. Mademoiselle

Reisz answered Monsieur Ratignolle in French, which Edna thought a
little rude, under the circumstances, but characteristic. Mademoiselle

had only agreeable" target="_blank" title="a.令人不悦的">disagreeable things to say of the symphony concerts,
and insulting remarks to make of all the musicians of New Orleans,

singly and collectively. All her interest seemed to be centered upon
the delicacies placed before her.

Mr. Merriman said that Mr. Arobin's remark about inquisitive
people reminded him of a man from Waco the other day at the St.

Charles Hotel--but as Mr. Merriman's stories were always lame and
lacking point, his wife seldom permitted him to complete them. She

interrupted him to ask if he remembered the name of the author
whose book she had bought the week before to send to a friend in

Geneva. She was talking "books" with Mr. Gouvernail and trying to
draw from him his opinion upon current literary topics. Her

husband told the story of the Waco man privately to Miss Mayblunt,
who pretended to be greatly amused and to think it extremely clever.

Mrs. Highcamp hung with languid but unaffected interest upon
the warm and impetuous volubility of her left-hand neighbor, Victor

Lebrun. Her attention was never for a moment withdrawn from him
after seating herself at table; and when he turned to Mrs.

Merriman, who was prettier and more vivacious than Mrs. Highcamp,
she waited with easy indifference for an opportunity to reclaim his

attention. There was the occasional sound of music, of mandolins,
sufficiently removed to be an agreeableaccompaniment rather than

an interruption to the conversation. Outside the soft, monotonous
splash of a fountain could be heard; the sound penetrated into the

room with the heavy odor of jessamine that came through the open
windows.

The golden shimmer of Edna's satin gown spread in rich folds
on either side of her. There was a soft fall of lace encircling

her shoulders. It was the color of her skin, without the glow, the
myriad living tints that one may sometimes discover in vibrant

flesh. There was something in her attitude, in her whole
appearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chair

and spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules,
who looks on, who stands alone.

But as she sat there amid her guests, she felt the old ennui
overtaking her; the hopelessness which so often assailed her, which

came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous,
independent of volition. It was something which announced itself;

a chill breath that seemed to issue from some vast cavern wherein
discords waited. There came over her the acute longing which

always summoned into her spiritualvision the presence of the
beloved one, overpowering her at once with a sense of the

unattainable.
The moments glided on, while a feeling of good fellowship

passed around the circle like a mystic cord, holding and binding
these people together with jest and laughter. Monsieur Ratignolle

was the first to break the pleasant charm. At ten o'clock he
excused himself. Madame Ratignolle was waiting for him at home.

She was bien souffrante, and she was filled with vague dread,
which only her husband's presence could allay.

Mademoiselle Reisz arose with Monsieur Ratignolle, who offered
to escort her to the car. She had eaten well; she had tasted the

good, rich wines, and they must have turned her head, for she bowed
pleasantly to all as she withdrew from table. She kissed Edna upon

the shoulder, and whispered: "Bonne nuit, ma reine; soyez sage."
She had been a little bewildered upon rising, or rather,

descending from her cushions, and Monsieur Ratignolle gallantly
took her arm and led her away.

Mrs. Highcamp was weaving a garland of roses, yellow and red.
When she had finished the garland, she laid it lightly upon

Victor's black curls. He was reclining far back in the luxurious
chair, holding a glass of champagne to the light.