and some of them are quite, quite old—­much older than you—­and all trimmed up!  Aren’t you astonished?  And one has a grown-up son and daughter, and she danced all the time with Dolly Tenterdown, who was her son’s fag at Eton, Lord Doraine told me.  Isn’t it odd?  And another was the lady that Sir Charles Helmsford was with on the promenade at Nice, when you would not let me bow to him, do you remember?  And she is as old as the other!

Lord Doraine was rather a bother, he wanted to dance with me so often; so at last I said to Octavia I really was not at my first ball to dance with old men (he is quite forty), and what was I to do?  And she was so cross with him, and I could see her talking to him about it when she danced with him herself next dance; and after that till supper he disappeared—­into the smoking-room, I suppose, to play “Bridge.”

[Sidenote:  At Supper]

I went in to supper first with the Duke of Meath—­he had just finished taking in Octavia—­he is such a nice boy; and then, as we were coming out, we went down a corridor, and there in a window-seat were Lord Valmond and Mrs. Smith, and he was still gloomy, and she had the same green-rhubarb-juice look she had the last night at Nazeby.  He jumped up at once, and said to me he hoped I had not forgotten I had promised to go in to supper with him, so I said I had just come from supper; and while we were speaking Mrs. Smith had got the Duke to sit down beside her, and so I had to go off with Lord Valmond, and he seemed so odd and nervous, and as if he were apologising about something; but I don’t know what it could have been, as he had not asked me before to go in to supper with him.

He seemed to cheer up presently, and persuaded me to go back into the supper-room, as he said he was so hungry, and we found a dear little table, with big flower things on it, in a corner; but when we got there he only played with an ortolan and drank some champagne, but he did take such a while about it; and each time I said I was sure the next dance was beginning he said he was still hungry.  I have never seen any one have so much on his plate and eat so little.  At last I insisted on going back, and when we got to the ballroom an extra was on, and he said I had promised him that, but I hadn’t.  However, we danced, and after that, having been so long away at supper, and one thing and another, my engagements seemed to get mixed, and I danced with all sorts of people I hadn’t promised to in the beginning.  At last it came to an end, and when the last carriage had driven away, we all went and had another hot supper.

[Sidenote:  End of the Ball]

Mr. Pike would sit next to Lady Doraine, and he was as gay as a blackbird, and I heard Octavia saying to Lady Greswold that Carry had better hurry up and get that house in Park Street, or Lady Doraine would have it instead.  Then we all went to bed, and Lord Valmond squeezed my hand and looked as silly as anything, and Jane Roose, who saw, said I had better be careful, as he was playing me off against Mrs. Smith.  It was great impertinence of her, I think—­don’t you?—­especially as Mrs. Smith had gone, so I can’t see the point.—­Now I am going to get up.  Your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth.