Lord Valmond hardly spoke after that, and she teased him and said:  “Harry, what a child you are!” and she looked as sweetly malicious as the tortoise-shell cat at home does when it is going to scratch while it is purring.  And presently Dolly Tenterdown came over to us (he is in Cousin Jack’s battalion of the Coldstreams, and he looks about fifteen, but he behaves very “grown up"), and he asked Lady Doraine to come and teach him her new “Patience”; and they went to one of the screen tables, and Lord Valmond said he was a charming fellow, but I thought he looked silly, and I do wonder what she found to say to him.  She must be quite ten years older than he is, and Jane Roose says it is an awful sign of age when people play with boys.

Lord Valmond asked me to keep him some dances to-night, but I said I really did not know what I should do until it began, as I had never been at a ball before.  I haven’t forgiven him a bit, so he need not think I have.  Now I must stop.  Oh!  I am longing to put on my white tulle, and I do feel excited.—­Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth.

P.S.—­I asked Jane Roose what “running them” means, and it’s being put on to things in the City, and having all your bills paid if you introduce them to people; only you sometimes have to write their letters for them to prevent them putting the whole grand address, &c., that is in the Peerage; and she says it is quite a profession now, and done by the best people, which of course must be true, as Carry is Tom’s sister.  E.

Chevenix Castle,

10th November.

[Sidenote:  A Modern Industry]

Dearest Mamma,—­Oh! it was too, too lovely, last night.  I am having my breakfast in bed to-day, just like the other grown-up people, and it really feels so grand to be writing to you between sips of tea and nibbles of toast and strawberry jam!  Well, to tell you about the ball.  First my white tulle was a dream.  Octavia said it was by far the prettiest debutante frock she had ever seen; and when I was dressed she sent for me to her room, and Tom was there too, and she took out of a duck of a white satin case a lovely string of pearls and put it round my throat, and said it was their present to me for my first ball!  Wasn’t it angelic of them?  I hugged and kissed them both, and almost squashed Tom’s buttonhole into his pink coat, I was so pleased, but he said he didn’t mind; and then we all went down together, and no one else was ready, so we looked through the rooms.  The dancing, of course, was to be in the picture gallery, and the flowers were so splendid everywhere, and Octavia was quite satisfied.  It is a mercy it is such a big house, for we weren’t put out a bit beforehand by the preparations.

I don’t know if you were ever like that, Mamma, but I felt as if I must jump about and sing, and my cheeks were burning.  Octavia sat down and played a valse, and Tom and I opened the ball by ourselves in the empty room, and it was fun, and then we saw Lord Valmond peeping in at the door, and he came up and said Tom was not to be greedy, and so I danced the two last rounds with him, and he had such a strange look in his eyes, a little bit like Jean when he had the fit, and he never said one word until we stopped.