‘She’s the hungriest girl I ever met in my life,’ he said to Bellthorp afterwards; ’ate up everything I gave her, and drank so much lemonade, I thought she’d go up like a balloon.’

When Barty had satisfied the red-haired girl’s appetite—­no easy matter—­he left her to play wallflower and make spiteful remarks on the girls who were dancing, and took out another damsel, who smiled and smiled, and trod on his toes when he danced, till he wished her in Jericho.  He asked if she was hungry, but, unlike the other girl, she was not; he said she must be tired, but oh, dear no, she was quite fresh; so she danced the whole waltz through and bumped Barty against everyone in the room; then said his step did not suit hers, which exasperated him so much—­for Barty flattered himself on his waltzing—­that he left her just as she was getting up a flirtation, and went to have a glass of champagne to soothe his feelings.  Released from Mrs Meddlechip, Gaston went in search of Kitty, and found her flirting with Felix Rolleston, who was amusing her with his gay chatter.

‘This is a deuced good-looking chappie,’ said Mr Rolleston, fixing his eyeglass in his eye and looking critically at Gaston as he approached them; ‘M.  Vandeloup, isn’t it?’

Kitty said it was.

‘Oh! yes,’ went on Felix, brightly, ’saw him about town—­don’t know him personally; awfully like a fellow I once knew called Fitzgerald--Brian Fitzgerald—­married now and got a family; funny thing, married Miss Frettlby, who used to live in your house.’

‘Oh! that hansom cab murder,’ said Kitty, looking at him, ’I’ve heard all about that.’

‘Egad!  I should think you had,’ observed Mr Rolleston, with a grin, ‘it was a nine days’ wonder; but here’s your friend, introduce me, pray,’ as Vandeloup came up.

Kitty did so, and Felix improved the occasion.

‘Knew you by sight,’ he said, shaking hands with Gaston, ’but it’s a case of we never speak as we pass by, and all that sort of thing—­ come and look me up,’ hospitably, ‘South Yarra.’

‘Delighted,’ said Gaston, smoothly, taking Kitty’s programme and putting his name down for the two vacant waltzes.

‘Reciprocal, I assure you,’ said the lively Felix.  ’Oh, by Jove! excuse me, Miss Marchurst—­there’s a polka—­got to dance with a girl—­you’ll see me in a minute—­she’s a maypole—­I’m not, ha! ha!  You’ll say it’s the long and the short of it—­ta-ta at present.’

He hopped off gaily, and they soon saw him steering the maypole round the room, or rather, the maypole steered Felix, for her idea of the dance was to let Felix skip gaily round her; then she lifted him up and put him down a few feet further on, when he again skipped, and so the performance went on, to the intense amusement of Kitty and Gaston.

‘My faith!’ said Vandeloup, satirically, dropping into a seat beside Kitty, ’she is a maypole, and he’s a merry peasant dancing round it.  By the way, Bebe, why isn’t Madame here to-night?’