He telephoned for his man to bring over his clothes, and he and his brother dressed.  Then Alice came in, looking like the goddess of the dawn in the gorgeous rose-coloured gown.  The colour in her cheeks was even brighter than usual; for she was staggered to find how low the gown was cut, and was afraid she was committing a faux pas.  “Tell me about it,” she stammered.  “Mammy Lucy says I’m surely supposed to wear some lace, or a bouquet.”

“Mammy Lucy isn’t a Paris costumier,” said Oliver, much amused.  “Dear me—­wait until you have seen Mrs. Winnie!”

Mrs. Winnie had kindly sent her limousine car for them, and it stood throbbing in front of the hotel-entrance, its acetylenes streaming far up the street.  Mrs. Winnie’s home was on Fifth Avenue, fronting the park.  It occupied half a block, and had cost two millions to build and furnish.  It was known as the “Snow Palace,” being all of white marble.

At the curb a man in livery opened the door of the car, and in the vestibule another man in livery bowed the way.  Lined up just inside the door was a corps of imposing personages, clad in scarlet waistcoats and velvet knee-breeches, with powdered wigs, and gold buttons, and gold buckles on their patent-leather pumps.  These splendid creatures took their wraps, and then presented to Montague and Oliver a bouquet of flowers upon a silver salver, and upon another salver a tiny envelope bearing the name of their partner at this strictly “informal” dinner-party.  Then the functionaries stood out of the way and permitted them to view the dazzling splendour of the entrance hall of the Snow Palace.  There was a great marble staircase running up from the centre of the hall, with a carved marble gallery above, and a marble fireplace below.  To decorate this mansion a real palace in the Punjab had been bought outright and plundered; there were mosaics of jade, and wonderful black marble, and rare woods, and strange and perplexing carvings.

The head butler stood at the entrance to the salon, pronouncing their names; and just inside was Mrs. Winnie.

Montague never forgot that first vision of her; she might have been a real princess out of the palace in the Punjab.  She was a brunette, rich-coloured, full-throated and deep-bosomed, with scarlet lips, and black hair and eyes.  She wore a court-gown of cloth of silver, with white kid shoes embroidered with jewelled flowers.  All her life she had been collecting large turquoises, and these she had made into a tiara, and a neck ornament spreading over her chest, and a stomacher.  Each of these stones was mounted with diamonds, and set upon a slender wire.  So as she moved they quivered and shimmered, and the effect was dazzling, barbaric.

She must have seen that Montague was staggered, for she gave him a little extra pressure of the hand, and said, “I’m so glad you came.  Ollie has told me all about you.”  Her voice was soft and melting, not so forbidding as her garb.