The young fellow, by manly acts on some occasions and grave weaknesses on others, won Uncle John’s kindly interest.  The old gentleman knew human nature, and saw much to admire as well as condemn in Louise’s friend.  Beth and Patsy found him a pleasant comrade, and after all love-making was tabooed they were quite a harmonious party.  Finally the sudden death of Weldon’s father left him the possessor of a fortune.  He returned to America to look after his newly-acquired business and became so immersed in it that Louise felt herself neglected when she came home expecting him to dance attendance upon her as before.  She treated him coldly and he ceased calling, his volatile and sensitive nature resenting such treatment.  It is curious what little things influence the trend of human lives.  Many estrangements are caused by trifles so intangible that we can scarcely locate them at all.

At first the girl was very unhappy at the alienation, but soon schooled herself to forget her former admirer.  Arthur Weldon, for his part, consoled himself by plunging into social distractions and devoting himself to Diana Von Taer, whose strange personality for a time fascinated him.

The business could not hold young Weldon’s vacillant temperament for long; neither could Diana.  As a matter of fact his heart, more staunch than he himself suspected, had never wavered much from Louise.  Yet pride forbade his attempting to renew their former relations.  It was now some months since he had seen the girl, and his eager exclamation was wrested from him by surprise and a sudden awakening to the fact that his love for her had merely slumbered.

Diana, worldly, cold and calculating as was her nature, had been profoundly touched by Arthur’s devotion to her.  Usually young men were soon repulsed by her unfortunate personality, which was not easily understood.  Therefore her intense nature responded freely to this admirer’s attentions, and if Diana could really love she loved Arthur Weldon.  He had never proposed to her or even intimated it was his intention to do so, but she conceived a powerful desire to win him and had never abandoned this motive when he grew cold and appeared to desert her.  Just now he was recently back from Italy, where he had passed several months, and Diana’s reception was his first reappearance in society.  The girl had planned to bring him to her side this evening and intended to exert her strongest fascinations to lure him back to his former allegiance; so her annoyance may be guessed when she found her three protegees seemingly more familiar with the young man than was she herself.

At last the line ended and the introductions were complete.  The debutantes were at once the center of interested groups composed of those who felt it a duty or pleasure to show them attention.  Diana wandered to the music room and waylaid Arthur Weldon, who was just about to make his escape from the house, having decided it was impossible to find an opportunity to converse with Louise that evening.