So it was settled, against Edith’s instinct of propriety, and the dinner was made up by the addition of the elder Miss Chesney.  And Jack did persuade Mrs. Blunt to accept.  In fact, she had a little curiosity to see the man whose name was in the newspapers more prominently than that of the President.

It was a bright thought to secure Mr. Mavick.  Mr. Thomas Mavick was socially one of the most desirable young men of the day.  Matrimonially he was not a prize, for he was without fortune and without powerful connections.  He had a position in the State Department.  Originally he came from somewhere in the West, it was said, but he had early obtained one or two minor diplomatic places; he had lived a good deal abroad; he had traveled a little—­a good deal, it would seem, from his occasional Oriental allusions.  He threw over his past a slight mystery, not too much; and he always took himself seriously.  His salary was sufficient to set up a bachelor very comfortably who always dined out; he dressed in the severity of the fashion; he belonged only to the best clubs, where he unbent more than anywhere else; he was credited with knowing a good deal more than he would tell.  It was believed, in fact, that he had a great deal of influence.  The President had been known to send for him on delicate personal business with regard to appointments, and there were certain ticklish diplomatic transactions that he was known to have managed most cleverly.  His friends could see his hand in state papers.  This he disclaimed, but he never denied that he knew the inside of whatever was going on in Washington.  Even those who thought him a snob said he was clever.  He had perfectly the diplomatic manner, and the reserve of one charged with grave secrets.  Whatever he disclosed was always in confidence, so that he had the reputation of being as discreet as he was knowing.  With women he was of course a favorite, for he knew how to be confidential without disclosing anything, and the hints he dropped about persons in power simply showed that he was secretly manoeuvring important affairs, and could make the most interesting revelations if he chose.  His smile and the shake of his head at the club when talk was personal conveyed a world of meaning.  Tom Mavick was, in short, a most accomplished fellow.  It was evident that he carried on the State Department, and the wonder to many was that he was not in a position to do it openly.  His social prestige was as mysterious as his diplomatic, but it was now unquestioned, and he might be considered as one of the first of a class who are to reconcile social and political life in this country.

VIII