After Luce had swept from the room, Drake remained for a minute or two

thinking the thoughts that a man must think under such circumstances;

then he went slowly down to the drawing-room.

The countess was watching and waiting for him, and she looked up at his

grave countenance anxiously as he came toward her.

"It is all right," he said, in his quiet way; "she is going at once."

His composure, the Angleford impassiveness which always came to their

aid in moments of danger and difficulty, impressed her; she drew a

breath of relief, and signed to the butler, who was hovering about

awaiting her signal. "Dinner is served, my lady," he announced solemnly;

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and Drake gave the duchess his arm, and the company went into the dining

room in pairs "like the animals into Noah's Ark," as Dick whispered to

Miss Angel, who, to his great delight, he was taking in.

It was a large party, and a brilliant one. The great room in the glory

of its new adornment was worthy of the house and its guests. If the

truth must be told, Nell was at first a little nervous, though it was

not her first experience, as we know, of an aristocratic dinner party.

She was seated on the left of Drake, and on pretense of moving one of

her glasses, he succeeded in touching her hand, and, as he did so, he

looked at her as a man looks who sees joy before him and an abiding

happiness; then he turned and talked to the duchess, for he knew that

Nell would like to be left alone for a few minutes.

It was impossible for any party, however large and aristocratic, over

which the countess presided, to be dull, and very soon they were all

talking, and some of them laughing, for there were two young persons

present, at any rate, who were by no means overawed by the splendor of

the appointments or the rank of the guests. Dick would have found it

possible to be merry at a Quakers' meeting, and Miss Angel, though she

tried to preserve a demure, not to say repressive, mood, very soon

yielded to Dick's light-hearted influence; and not only she, but those

near them, were kept by him in ripples of laughter.

It was just what Drake wanted, and he looked down the table toward Dick

with approval and gratitude.

"Dick hasn't changed a bit--thank Heaven!" he said to Nell.

"Your brother's the most charming boy I've met for a very long time,"

remarked the duchess. "Of course, he will come with you and the rest to

me on the ninth. I am so glad to see Mr. Falconer here, and I hope he

will be well enough to join us!"




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