‘Oh, it’s this horrid business, you know. I said to him, I said, “Spenceley, if business is so uncertain, it’s a very sure thing that we oughtn’t to be giving balls in this style;” not but what I am _very_ glad to see you, and I hope you’ll enjoy it,’ she hastened to add. ‘He had to go off to Liverpool early this morning, and he said he _might_ have to come home by Manchester, but he’d try to be with us before we began. However, he hasn’t turned up.’ ‘Very likely he has been detained.’ ‘I expect so. These are anxious times, and it keeps a man on the strain, with things going first up and then down, and not knowing how anything will turn out,’ said Mrs. Spenceley, lucidly. ‘But aren’t you going to dance, Mr. Mallory? There’s lots of young ladies will be delighted to dance with you. See! there’s little Fanny Kay sitting out--the first dance, too. Do you know her?’ ‘Yes, thank you. I don’t think I will dance at present. I’m looking for Miss Spenceley, to congratulate her; but she is not here, I think.’ ‘She’s in the ball-room. You see, she had to open the ball, being for her own birthday, and all, and some of them were very anxious to begin. It makes it very awkward, Spenceley’s being away. But you’ll see Helena directly, I dare say. She said she should come straight here when the dance was over.’ ‘I think I will go and see if it is over,’ said Sebastian, who saw Hugo leading off a white-robed virgin to the ball-room. ‘Ay, do; I’m sure they must be nearly done by now,’ she replied, drawing her dazzling scarf more closely about her, and obstinately refusing to lessen her fatigue by sitting down. Sebastian crossed the hall, and at the door of the ball-room met Helena and her partner coming out. She was leaning on the arm of an elderly man, one of the Thanshope magnates, to whose lot it had fallen to guide her through the mazes of a duty-quadrille, by way of opening the ball. Helena looked bored, and the gentleman no less so. They were making straight for the drawing-room, in order to get rid of each other as soon as possible. Helena did not at once see Sebastian, and he had time to notice how downcast and pale she looked, although so lovely. Mr. Rawson, her partner, was at this moment ‘collared’ in a summary manner by an acquaintance, and appeared particularly anxious to talk with him on congenial subjects. Mr. Mallory, therefore, seized the opportunity to advance and say: ‘Good evening, Miss Spenceley.’ Helena started, and turned quickly to him. ‘Mr. Rawson,’ proceeded Sebastian, ‘I see you are engaged. Allow me to take Miss Spenceley to the drawing-room--or wherever else you please,’ he added, in a lower voice, as Mr. Rawson, with evident gratitude, gave up his charge, and they walked away, her hand resting lightly on his arm. ‘Now he is happy with a friend of his own age,’ remarked Sebastian. ‘I could not find you in the drawing-room, so I came to seek you, in order to offer you my sincere congratulations upon this occasion.’