‘What is all this?’

‘O, if you wait a while,’ said the witch, ’you will see further transformations—­that is all.’

‘And what is this for?’ said the countryman, pointing to the rolled-up rend curtain.

‘To hide the transformed, till they are ready to be seen.’

‘But it does not hide anything,’ said the countryman obtusely.  ‘How do they get it down?’

He went examining about the door-posts, with undoubted curiosity, till he found the mechanism attached to the curtain and touched the spring.  Down fell the red folds in an instant.  The man drew it up again, and let it fall again, and again drew it up.

‘Very good,’ he said approvingly.  ’Very good.  We have no such clever curtains in my country.  That will do very well.’

As he spoke, a bell sounded through the house.  Immediately the witch escaped by a side door.  Two or three others followed her; and then the rest of the company began to pour in and fill the saloon before the red curtain.

‘Well, I never was so stupid in all my life!’ said the court beauty.  ’I might have known no other girl would come as a roll of serge!’

’And I might have known, that if I failed to recognize Miss Kennedy’s hand, it could be only because it was out of sight,’ said Mr. Kingsland, who by special favour wore only his own face and dress.

’You’ll get a mitten from her hand—­and a slap in it, if you don’t look out,’ said the lady.

‘Better a mitten from that hand than a glove from any other,’ replied Mr. Kingsland with resignation.

‘Easier for you to get,’ the beauty retorted.  ’But did you hear of the fun we had the other night?—­the best joke!  We all put Seaton up to it, and he carried it off well.  Dick wouldn’t.  Before the dancing began, he went up to Miss Kennedy and asked her with his gravest face whether she felt guardian’s orders to be binding?  And she coloured all up, like a child as she is, and inquired who wanted to know?  So Seaton bowed down to the ground almost, and said he—­

’ “I had the honour of asking Mr. Rollo this afternoon, concerning the drive we spoke of; and he gave me an emphatic no.  And now I am come to you to reverse the decision.”

’Well, you should have seen her face!—­and “What did he say, Major Seaton?” she asked.  “As near as I can remember,” said Seaton with another bow, “he said, Sir I cannot possibly allow Miss Kennedy to take any such drive as you propose!” ’

‘Well?—­’ said Mr. Kingsland,—­’I have heavy wagers out on Miss Kennedy’s dignity.’

‘I don’t know what you call dignity,’ said the beauty,—­’I didn’t know at first but she would knock him down for his information,—­she did, with her eyes.  And then my lady Duchess drew herself up as grand as could be, and answered just as if she didn’t care a snap,—­“Did Mr. Rollo say that, Major Seaton?  Then I certainly shall not go.” ’