"Then you must retract what you said last night. It was as if you wanted me never to have a new dress again." "Nay, Selina, I only reminded you how small our income is. You must not overlook that." "Don't be foolish, Oscar. Do you fear I am going to ruin you? What's the cost of a few dresses? I _must_ have one for Lady Burnham's fête." "My dear, have what you like, in reason," he said, in the innocence of his unconscious heart: "you are the best judge. Of course I can trust you." The words were as the sweetest music in her ear. She sprang up, dancing to a scrap of a song. "You dear, good Oscar I knew you were never going to be an old griffin. I think I must have that lovely green-and-white gauze. It was the most magnificent dress. I was divided between that and a cream-coloured damask. I'll have the gauze. And gauze dresses cost nothing." "Nothing?" "Next to nothing." Selina flew upstairs. She pulled aside the "sheets and table-cloths," and glanced underneath. It was a goodly stock of robes; but yet not all the stock: for the lace, and muslin, and flimsy gauze, and delicate white, and delicate pearl, and delicate pink, and delicate other shades, were reposing in drawers, out of sight, between folds of tissue paper. Barège and balzarine: satin, plain and figured; velvet; silk, plain, damask, flowered, shot, corded, and of all the colours of the rainbow. Beautiful dresses; and yet--new, and rich, and elegant as they were, Selina Dalrymple could not go to the fête without a new one! Away she went to Madame Damereau's. Astonishing that renowned artiste by the early hour of her visit. "I want a thousand things," began Selina, in the blitheness of her heart. "Have you sold the green-and-white gauze dress?" No, was madame's answer, she had kept it on purpose for Madame Dalreemp. Milady Ac-corn had come in yesterday afternoon late, and wanted it, but she had told milady that it was sold. Selina took it all in. The fact was, madame had tried to persuade Milady Ac-corn into buying it, but milady was proof against the price. She had wanted it for Frances. It was only seventeen guineas, and that included the fringe and trimmings. Selina had told her husband that gauze dresses cost nothing! "I want it for the breakfast on Thursday," cried Selina. "What mantle can I wear?" A momentous question. They ran over in memory the mantles, scarfs, fichus, possessed by Mrs. Dalrymple, and came to the conclusion that not one of them would "go with" the gauze dress. "I have a lace mantle," said madame--"ah! but it is recherché!--a real Brussels. If there is one robe in my house that it ought to go with, it is that green-and-white." She brought it forward and exhibited it upon the dress. Very beautiful; of that there was no doubt. It was probably a beautiful price also. "Twenty-five guineas." "Oh my goodness--twenty-five guineas!" cried Selina. "But I'll take it. A breakfast fête does not come every day."