My host pressed his friend to join our party in his rooms, and "Piggy," as his friends called him, to my horror, said that he had another engagement; when, however, he was informed that there would be attractive young ladies among the party, he altered his mind. On arriving we were received by these charming ladies, who contributed to the evening's fun by entering very completely into the open secret of my visit. We had a piano and plenty of fun and chaff, and under cover of the evening's amusement I took in "Piggy" Palk. I was introduced to the most attractive of the ladies and enlisted her services on my behalf over the eyeglass. My friend at once introduced "Piggy" to her, and she induced him to produce the eyeglass. After some preliminary conversation she began: "Oh, Lord Haldon, I see you have an eyeglass, do you ever wear it? Sometimes an eyeglass improves a man's appearance immensely, I should like to see how you look in one." "Oh, yes," he said, "I sometimes wear it!" And so he put it into his right eye. "Yes, it suits you very well. You don't make such faces as some people do in wearing it." He was flattered. "Now I'd just love to see if you look as nice with it in the left eye." The obedient young man, mollified by her flattery, did all he was told, while I made good use of my eyes, and the company were becoming so hilarious that they could hardly conceal their merriment while the girl went on. "It's really wonderful how effective it is, and how it suits you equally in either eye." Thinking he had made an impression, "Piggy" took her into a corner and made himself most fascinating, assiduously retaining the eyeglass all the time. "He seems to be getting on very well," said one of the guests to me, in an undertone. [Illustration: LORD HALDON, 1882.] I was about to reply when Lord Haldon turned to me and said:-- "Do you know, 'Mr. Spy,' that it's very bad manners to whisper?" So addressing myself to the lady, I offered my humble apologies and regrets for my forgetfulness (much to her amusement). When the caricature appeared he wondered "who the fellow was who had seen him," and tried to remember when it was he had worn lilies of the valley in his dress coat. I wonder he did not suspect "Mr. Spy." CHAPTER VII PORTRAITURE