His mouth remained open until the necessary gestures of articulation intermittently closed it as he said:  “Oh! That was divine!”

Too-gentle Julia agreed.

“You said I could have part of some in between the first and last,” he reminded her.  “Can I have the first part of the next?”

She laughed.  “I’m afraid not.  The next is Mr. Clairdyce’s and I really promised him I wouldn’t give any of his away or let anybody cut in.”

“Well, then,” said Noble, frowning a little, “would you be willing for me to cut in on the third?”

“I’m afraid not.  That’s Newland Sanders’, and I promised him the same thing.”

“Well, the one after that?”

“No, that one’s Mr. Clairdyce’s, too.”

“It is?” Noble was greatly disturbed.

“Yes.”

“Two that quick with old Baldy Clairdyce!” he exclaimed, raising his voice, but unaware of the fervour with which he spoke.  “Two with that old——­”

“Sh, Noble,” she said, though she laughed.  “He isn’t really old; he’s just middle-aged, and only the least bit bald, just enough to be distinguished-looking.”

“Well, you know what I think of him!” he returned with a vehemence not moderated. “I don’t think he’s distinguished-looking; I think he’s simply and plainly a regular old——­”

“Sh!” Julia warned him again.  “He’s standing with some people just behind us,” she added.

“Well, then,” said Noble, “can I cut in on the next one after that?”

She consulted a surreptitious little card.  “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait till quite a little later on, Noble.  That one is poor Mr. Ridgely’s.  I promised him I wouldn’t——­”

“Then can I cut in on the next one after that?”

“It’s Mr. Clairdyce’s,” said Julia—­and she blushed.

“My goodness!” said Noble.  “Oh, my goodness!”

“Sh! I’m afraid people——­”

“Let’s go out on the porch,” said Noble, whose manner had suddenly become desperate.  “Let’s go out and get some air where we can talk this thing over.”

“I’m afraid I’d better not just now,” she returned, glancing over her shoulder.  “You see, all the people aren’t here yet.”

“You’ve got an aunt here,” said Noble, “and a sister-in-law and a little niece:  I saw ’em.  They can——­”

“I’m afraid I’d better stay indoors just now,” she said persuasively.  “We can talk here just as well.”

“We can’t!” he insisted feverishly.  “We can’t, Julia!  I’ve got something to say, Julia.  Julia, you gave me the first dance and the last dance, and of course sitting together at supper, or whatever there is, and you know as well as I do that means it’s just the same as if you weren’t giving this party but it was somewhere else and I took you to it, and it’s always understood you never dance more with anybody else than the one you went with, when you go with that person to a place, because that’s the rights of it; and other towns it’s just the same way; they do that way there, just the same as here; they do that way everywhere, because nobody else has got a right to cut in and dance more with you than the one you go with, when you goes to a place with that one.  Julia, don’t you see that’s the regular way it is, and the only fair way it ought to be?”