_Lady Fritterly_. Well, I hope he is coming presently, so you will be able to continue your conversation. Then there is Mr Coldwaite, the celebrated Comtist; and Mr Fussle, who writes those delightful articles on prehistoric aesthetic evolution; and Mr Drygull, the eminent theosophist, whose stories about esoteric Buddhism are quite too extraordinary, and who has promised to bring a Khoja--a most interesting moral specimen, my dear--who has just arrived from Bombay; and Lord Fondleton. _Mrs Allmash_. Lord Fondleton! I did not know that he was interested in such subjects. _Lady Fritterly_. He says he is, dear; between ourselves--but this, of course, is strictly _entre nous_--I rather think that it is I who interest him: but I encourage him, poor fellow; it may wean him from the unprofitable life he is leading, and turn his mind to higher things. Oh! I almost forgot,---then there is my new beauty! _Mrs Allmash_. Your new beauty! _Lady Fritterly_. Yes; if you could only have dined with me the other night, you would have met her. I had such a perfect little dinner. Just think! A poet, an actor, a journalist, a painter, a wit, and a new beauty. I'll tell you how I found her. She really belongs at present to Lady Islington and myself; but of course, now we have started her, all the other people will snap her up. We found that we both owed that vulgar upstart, Mrs Houndsley, a visit, and went there together--because I always think two people are less easily bored than one--when suddenly the most perfect apparition you ever beheld stood before us;--an old master dress, an immense pattern, a large hat rim encircling a face, some rich auburn hair inside, and the face a perfect one. Well, you know, it turned out that she was not born in the purple--her husband is just a clerk in Burley's Bank; but we both insisted on being introduced to her--for, you see, my dear, there is no doubt about it, she is a ready- made beauty. The same idea occurred to Lady Islington, so we agreed as we drove away that we would bring her out. The result is, that she went to Islington House on Tuesday, and came to me on Thursday, and created a perfect furor on both occasions; so now she is fairly started. _Mrs Allmash_. How wonderfully clever and fortunate you are, dear! What is her name? _Lady Fritterly_. Mrs Gloring. _Mrs Allmash_. Oh yes; everybody was talking about her at the Duchess's last night. I am dying to see her; but they say that she is rather a fool. _Lady Fritterly_. Pure spite and jealousy. Yet that is the way these Christian women of society obey the precept of their religion, and love their neighbours as themselves. [Lord Fondleton _is announced_, _accompanied by a stranger_.