When Susan's engagement had been approved at home, and made publicto any one who took an interest in it at the hotel--and by this timethe society at the hotel was divided so as to point to invisiblechalk-marks such as Mr. Hirst had described, the news was felt tojustify some celebration--an expedition? That had been done already.

　　A dance then. The advantage of a dance was that it abolished oneof those long evenings which were apt to become tedious and leadto absurdly early hours in spite of bridge.

　　Two or three people standing under the erect body of the stuffedleopard in the hall very soon had the matter decided. Evelyn slida pace or two this way and that, and pronounced that the floorwas excellent. Signor Rodriguez informed them of an old Spaniardwho fiddled at weddings--fiddled so as to make a tortoise waltz;and his daughter, although endowed with eyes as black ascoal-scuttles, had the same power over the piano. If therewere any so sick or so surly as to prefer sedentary occupationson the night in question to spinning and watching others spin,the drawing-room and billiard-room were theirs. Hewet made ithis business to conciliate the outsiders as much as possible.

　　To Hirst's theory of the invisible chalk-marks he would pay noattention whatever. He was treated to a snub or two, but, in reward,found obscure lonely gentlemen delighted to have this opportunityof talking to their kind, and the lady of doubtful character showedevery symptom of confiding her case to him in the near future.

　　Indeed it was made quite obvious to him that the two or three hoursbetween dinner and bed contained an amount of unhappiness, which wasreally pitiable, so many people had not succeeded in making friends.

　　It was settled that the dance was to be on Friday, one week afterthe engagement, and at dinner Hewet declared himself satisfied.

　　"They're all coming!" he told Hirst. "Pepper!" he called,seeing William Pepper slip past in the wake of the soup witha pamphlet beneath his arm, "We're counting on you to open the ball.""You will certainly put sleep out of the question," Pepper returned.

　　"You are to take the floor with Miss Allan," Hewet continued,consulting a sheet of pencilled notes.

　　Pepper stopped and began a discourse upon round dances, country dances,morris dances, and quadrilles, all of which are entirely superiorto the bastard waltz and spurious polka which have ousted themmost unjustly in contemporary popularity--when the waiters gentlypushed him on to his table in the corner.

　　The dining-room at this moment had a certain fantastic resemblanceto a farmyard scattered with grain on which bright pigeonskept descending. Almost all the ladies wore dresses which theyhad not yet displayed, and their hair rose in waves and scrollsso as to appear like carved wood in Gothic churches ratherthan hair. The dinner was shorter and less formal than usual,even the waiters seeming to be affected with the general excitement.

　　Ten minutes before the clock struck nine the committee made a tourthrough the ballroom. The hall, when emptied of its furniture,brilliantly lit, adorned with flowers whose scent tinged the air,presented a wonderful appearance of ethereal gaiety.

　　"It's like a starlit sky on an absolutely cloudless night,"Hewet murmured, looking about him, at the airy empty room.

　　"A heavenly floor, anyhow," Evelyn added, taking a run and slidingtwo or three feet along.

　　"What about those curtains?" asked Hirst. The crimson curtainswere drawn across the long windows. "It's a perfect night outside.""Yes, but curtains inspire confidence," Miss Allan decided.

　　"When the ball is in full swing it will be time to draw them.

　　We might even open the windows a little. . . . If we do it now elderlypeople will imagine there are draughts.

　　Her wisdom had come to be recognised, and held in respect.

　　Meanwhile as they stood talking, the musicians were unwrappingtheir instruments, and the violin was repeating again and againa note struck upon the piano. Everything was ready to begin.

　　After a few minutes' pause, the father, the daughter, and theson-in-law who played the horn flourished with one accord.

　　Like the rats who followed the piper, heads instantly appearedin the doorway. There was another flourish; and then the triodashed spontaneously into the triumphant swing of the waltz.

　　It was as though the room were instantly flooded with water.

　　After a moment's hesitation first one couple, then another,leapt into mid-stream, and went round and round in the eddies.

　　The rhythmic swish of the dancers sounded like a swirling pool.

　　By degrees the room grew perceptibly hotter. The smell of kidgloves mingled with the strong scent of flowers. The eddiesseemed to circle faster and faster, until the music wrought itselfinto a crash, ceased, and the circles were smashed into littleseparate bits. The couples struck off in different directions,leaving a thin row of elderly people stuck fast to the walls,and here and there a piece of trimming or a handkerchief or aflower lay upon the floor. There was a pause, and then the musicstarted again, the eddies whirled, the couples circled round in them,until there was a crash, and the circles were broken up intoseparate pieces.

　　When this had happened about five times, Hirst, who leant againsta window-frame, like some singular gargoyle, perceived that HelenAmbrose and Rachel stood in the doorway. The crowd was suchthat they could not move, but he recognised them by a piece ofHelen's shoulder and a glimpse of Rachel's head turning round.

　　He made his way to them; they greeted him with relief.

　　"We are suffering the tortures of the damned," said Helen.

　　"This is my idea of hell," said Rachel.

　　Her eyes were bright and she looked bewildered.

　　Hewet and Miss Allan, who had been waltzing somewhat laboriously,paused and greeted the newcomers.

　　"This _is_ nice," said Hewet. "But where is Mr. Ambrose?""Pindar," said Helen. "May a married woman who was forty inOctober dance? I can't stand still." She seemed to fade into Hewet,and they both dissolved in the crowd.

　　"We must follow suit," said Hirst to Rachel, and he took herresolutely by the elbow. Rachel, without being expert, danced well,because of a good ear for rhythm, but Hirst had no taste for music,and a few dancing lessons at Cambridge had only put him into possessionof the anatomy of a waltz, without imparting any of its spirit.

　　A single turn proved to them that their methods were incompatible;instead of fitting into each other their bones seemed to jut outin angles making smooth turning an impossibility, and cutting,moreover, into the circular progress of the other dancers.

　　"Shall we stop?" said Hirst. Rachel gathered from his expressionthat he was annoyed.

　　They staggered to seats in the corner, from which they had a viewof the room. It was still surging, in waves of blue and yellow,striped by the black evening-clothes of the gentlemen.

　　"An amazing spectacle," Hirst remarked. "Do you dance muchin London?" They were both breathing fast, and both a little excited,though each was determined not to show any excitement at all.

　　"Scarcely ever. Do you?""My people give a dance every Christmas.""This isn't half a bad floor," Rachel said. Hirst did not attemptto answer her platitude. He sat quite silent, staring at the dancers.

　　After three minutes the silence became so intolerable to Rachelthat she was goaded to advance another commonplace about the beautyof the night. Hirst interrupted her ruthlessly.

　　"Was that all nonsense what you said the other day about beinga Christian and having no education?" he asked.

　　"It was practically true," she replied. "But I also play the pianovery well," she said, "better, I expect than any one in this room.

　　You are the most distinguished man in England, aren't you?"she asked shyly.

　　"One of the three," he corrected.

　　Helen whirling past here tossed a fan into Rachel's lap.

　　"She is very beautiful," Hirst remarked.

　　They were again silent. Rachel was wondering whether he thoughther also nice-looking; St. John was considering the immensedifficulty of talking to girls who had no experience of life.

　　Rachel had obviously never thought or felt or seen anything,and she might be intelligent or she might be just like all the rest.

　　But Hewet's taunt rankled in his mind--"you don't know how to geton with women," and he was determined to profit by this opportunity.

　　Her evening-clothes bestowed on her just that degree of unrealityand distinction which made it romantic to speak to her, and stirreda desire to talk, which irritated him because he did not knowhow to begin. He glanced at her, and she seemed to him veryremote and inexplicable, very young and chaste. He drew a sigh,and began.

　　"About books now. What have you read? Just Shakespeare and the Bible?""I haven't read many classics," Rachel stated. She was slightlyannoyed by his jaunty and rather unnatural manner, while his masculineacquirements induced her to take a very modest view of her own power.

　　"D'you mean to tell me you've reached the age of twenty-four withoutreading Gibbon?" he demanded.

　　"Yes, I have," she answered.

　　"Mon Dieu!" he exclaimed, throwing out his hands. "You must beginto-morrow. I shall send you my copy. What I want to know is--"he looked at her critically. "You see, the problem is, can onereally talk to you? Have you got a mind, or are you like the restof your sex? You seem to me absurdly young compared with menof your age."Rachel looked at him but said nothing.

　　"About Gibbon," he continued. "D'you think you'll be ableto appreciate him? He's the test, of course. It's awfullydifficult to tell about women," he continued, "how much, I mean,is due to lack of training, and how much is native incapacity.

　　I don't see myself why you shouldn't understand--only I suppose you'veled an absurd life until now--you've just walked in a crocodile,I suppose, with your hair down your back."The music was again beginning. Hirst's eye wandered about the roomin search of Mrs. Ambrose. With the best will in the world hewas conscious that they were not getting on well together.

　　"I'd like awfully to lend you books," he said, buttoning his gloves,and rising from his seat. "We shall meet again. "I'm going to leaveyou now."He got up and left her.

　　Rachel looked round. She felt herself surrounded, like a child ata party, by the faces of strangers all hostile to her, with hookednoses and sneering, indifferent eyes. She was by a window,she pushed it open with a jerk. She stepped out into the garden.

　　Her eyes swam with tears of rage.

　　"Damn that man!" she exclaimed, having acquired some of Helen's words.

　　"Damn his insolence!"She stood in the middle of the pale square of light which thewindow she had opened threw upon the grass. The forms of greatblack trees rose massively in front of her. She stood still,looking at them, shivering slightly with anger and excitement.

　　She heard the trampling and swinging of the dancers behind her,and the rhythmic sway of the waltz music.

　　"There are trees," she said aloud. Would the trees make upfor St. John Hirst? She would be a Persian princess farfrom civilisation, riding her horse upon the mountains alone,and making her women sing to her in the evening, far from all this,from the strife and men and women--a form came out of the shadow;a little red light burnt high up in its blackness.

　　"Miss Vinrace, is it?" said Hewet, peering at her. "You weredancing with Hirst?""He's made me furious!" she cried vehemently. "No one's any rightto be insolent!""Insolent?" Hewet repeated, taking his cigar from his mouthin surprise. "Hirst--insolent?""It's insolent to--" said Rachel, and stopped. She did not knowexactly why she had been made so angry. With a great effort shepulled herself together.

　　"Oh, well," she added, the vision of Helen and her mockery before her,"I dare say I'm a fool." She made as though she were going backinto the ballroom, but Hewet stopped her.

　　"Please explain to me," he said. "I feel sure Hirst didn't meanto hurt you."When Rachel tried to explain, she found it very difficult.

　　She could not say that she found the vision of herself walkingin a crocodile with her hair down her back peculiarly unjustand horrible, nor could she explain why Hirst's assumption ofthe superiority of his nature and experience had seemed to her notonly galling but terrible--as if a gate had clanged in her face.

　　Pacing up and down the terrace beside Hewet she said bitterly:

　　"It's no good; we should live separate; we cannot understand each other;we only bring out what's worst."Hewet brushed aside her generalisation as to the natures ofthe two sexes, for such generalisations bored him and seemedto him generally untrue. But, knowing Hirst, he guessed fairlyaccurately what had happened, and, though secretly much amused,was determined that Rachel should not store the incidentaway in her mind to take its place in the view she had of life.

　　"Now you'll hate him," he said, "which is wrong. Poor old Hirst--he can't help his method. And really, Miss Vinrace, he was doing his best;he was paying you a compliment--he was trying--he was trying--"he could not finish for the laughter that overcame him.

　　Rachel veered round suddenly and laughed out too. She saw that therewas something ridiculous about Hirst, and perhaps about herself.

　　"It's his way of making friends, I suppose," she laughed. "Well--Ishall do my part. I shall begin--'Ugly in body, repulsive in mindas you are, Mr. Hirst--""Hear, hear!" cried Hewet. "That's the way to treat him. You see,Miss Vinrace, you must make allowances for Hirst. He's lived allhis life in front of a looking-glass, so to speak, in a beautifulpanelled room, hung with Japanese prints and lovely old chairsand tables, just one splash of colour, you know, in the right place,--between the windows I think it is,--and there he sits hour afterhour with his toes on the fender, talking about philosophy andGod and his liver and his heart and the hearts of his friends.

　　They're all broken. You can't expect him to be at his best ina ballroom. He wants a cosy, smoky, masculine place, where he canstretch his legs out, and only speak when he's got something to say.

　　For myself, I find it rather dreary. But I do respect it.

　　They're all so much in earnest. They do take the serious thingsvery seriously."The description of Hirst's way of life interested Rachel so muchthat she almost forgot her private grudge against him, and herrespect revived.

　　"They are really very clever then?" she asked.

　　"Of course they are. So far as brains go I think it's true what hesaid the other day; they're the cleverest people in England. But--you ought to take him in hand," he added. "There's a great deal morein him than's ever been got at. He wants some one to laugh at him.

　　. . . The idea of Hirst telling you that you've had no experiences!

　　Poor old Hirst!"They had been pacing up and down the terrace while they talked, and nowone by one the dark windows were uncurtained by an invisible hand,and panes of light fell regularly at equal intervals upon the grass.

　　They stopped to look in at the drawing-room, and perceived Mr. Pepperwriting alone at a table.

　　"There's Pepper writing to his aunt," said Hewet. "She mustbe a very remarkable old lady, eighty-five he tells me, and hetakes her for walking tours in the New Forest. . . . Pepper!"he cried, rapping on the window. "Go and do your duty. Miss Allanexpects you."When they came to the windows of the ballroom, the swingof the dancers and the lilt of the music was irresistible.

　　"Shall we?" said Hewet, and they clasped hands and swept offmagnificently into the great swirling pool. Although this was onlythe second time they had met, the first time they had seen a manand woman kissing each other, and the second time Mr. Hewet had foundthat a young woman angry is very like a child. So that when theyjoined hands in the dance they felt more at their ease than is usual.

　　It was midnight and the dance was now at its height. Servants werepeeping in at the windows; the garden was sprinkled with the whiteshapes of couples sitting out. Mrs. Thornbury and Mrs. Elliotsat side by side under a palm tree, holding fans, handkerchiefs,and brooches deposited in their laps by flushed maidens.

　　Occasionally they exchanged comments.

　　"Miss Warrington _does_ look happy," said Mrs. Elliot; they both smiled;they both sighed.

　　"He has a great deal of character," said Mrs. Thornbury,alluding to Arthur.

　　"And character is what one wants," said Mrs. Elliot. "Now thatyoung man is _clever_ enough," she added, nodding at Hirst,who came past with Miss Allan on his arm.

　　"He does not look strong," said Mrs. Thornbury. "His complexion isnot good.--Shall I tear it off?" she asked, for Rachel had stopped,conscious of a long strip trailing behind her.

　　"I hope you are enjoying yourselves?" Hewet asked the ladies.

　　"This is a very familiar position for me!" smiled Mrs. Thornbury.

　　"I have brought out five daughters--and they all loved dancing!

　　You love it too, Miss Vinrace?" she asked, looking at Rachel withmaternal eyes. "I know I did when I was your age. How I used to begmy mother to let me stay--and now I sympathise with the poor mothers--but I sympathise with the daughters too!"She smiled sympathetically, and at the same time rather keenly,at Rachel.

　　"They seem to find a great deal to say to each other," said Mrs. Elliot,looking significantly at the backs of the couple as they turned away.

　　"Did you notice at the picnic? He was the only person who couldmake her utter.""Her father is a very interesting man," said Mrs. Thornbury.

　　"He has one of the largest shipping businesses in Hull. He madea very able reply, you remember, to Mr. Asquith at the last election.

　　It is so interesting to find that a man of his experience is astrong Protectionist."She would have liked to discuss politics, which interestedher more than personalities, but Mrs. Elliot would only talkabout the Empire in a less abstract form.

　　"I hear there are dreadful accounts from England about the rats,"she said. "A sister-in-law, who lives at Norwich, tells me ithas been quite unsafe to order poultry. The plague--you see.

　　It attacks the rats, and through them other creatures.""And the local authorities are not taking proper steps?"asked Mrs. Thornbury.

　　"That she does not say. But she describes the attitude of theeducated people--who should know better--as callous in the extreme.

　　Of course, my sister-in-law is one of those active modern women,who always takes things up, you know--the kind of woman one admires,though one does not feel, at least I do not feel--but then she hasa constitution of iron."Mrs. Elliot, brought back to the consideration of her own delicacy,here sighed.

　　"A very animated face," said Mrs. Thornbury, looking at Evelyn M. whohad stopped near them to pin tight a scarlet flower at her breast.

　　It would not stay, and, with a spirited gesture of impatience,she thrust it into her partner's button-hole. He was a tallmelancholy youth, who received the gift as a knight might receivehis lady's token.

　　"Very trying to the eyes," was Mrs. Eliot's next remark, after watchingthe yellow whirl in which so few of the whirlers had either nameor character for her, for a few minutes. Bursting out of the crowd,Helen approached them, and took a vacant chair.

　　"May I sit by you?" she said, smiling and breathing fast.

　　"I suppose I ought to be ashamed of myself," she went on, sitting down,"at my age."Her beauty, now that she was flushed and animated, was more expansivethan usual, and both the ladies felt the same desire to touch her.

　　"I _am_ enjoying myself," she panted. "Movement--isn't it amazing?""I have always heard that nothing comes up to dancing if one isa good dancer," said Mrs. Thornbury, looking at her with a smile.

　　Helen swayed slightly as if she sat on wires.

　　"I could dance for ever!" she said. "They ought to let themselvesgo more!" she exclaimed. "They ought to leap and swing. Look!

　　How they mince!""Have you seen those wonderful Russian dancers?" began Mrs. Elliot.

　　But Helen saw her partner coming and rose as the moon rises.

　　She was half round the room before they took their eyes off her,for they could not help admiring her, although they thought it a littleodd that a woman of her age should enjoy dancing.

　　Directly Helen was left alone for a minute she was joinedby St. John Hirst, who had been watching for an opportunity.

　　"Shoul............