“It ees to me,” said the count, with a marked accent; “I assure you it is like Paris in ze time of ze monarchy. Ah, ze Great Republic, madame--so it was in France in ze ancien regime. Ah, mademoiselle! Permit me,” and he raised her hand to his lips; “I salute--is it not” (turning to Mrs. Mavick)--“ze princess of ze house?” The next man who shook hands with the host, and then stood in an easy attitude before the hostess, attracted Philip's attention strongly, for he fancied from the deference shown him it must be the lord of whom he had heard. He was a short, little man, with heavy limbs and a clumsy figure, reddish hair, very thin on the crown, small eyes that were not improved in expression by white eyebrows, a red face, smooth shaven and freckled. It might have been the face of a hostler or a billiard-marker. “I am delighted, my lord, that you could make room in your engagements to come.” “Ah, Mrs. Mavick, I wouldn't have missed it,” said my lord, with easy assurance; “I'd have thrown over anything to have come. And, do you know” (looking about him coolly), “it's quite English, 'pon my honor, quite English--St. James and that sort of thing.” “You flatter me, my lord,” replied the lady of the house, with a winning smile. “No, I do assure you, it's bang-up. Ah, Miss Mavick, delighted, delighted. Most charming. Lucky for me, wasn't it? I'm just in time.” “You've only recently come over, Lord Montague?” asked Evelyn. “Been here before--Rockies, shooting, all that. Just arrived now--beastly trip, beastly.” “And so you were glad to land?” “Glad to land anywhere. But New York suits me down to the ground. It goes, as you say over here. You know Paris?” “We have been in Paris. You prefer it?” “For some thing. Paris as it was in the Empire. For sport, no. For horses, no. And” (looking boldly into her face) “when you speak of American women, Paris ain't in it, as you say over here.” And the noble lord, instead of passing on, wheeled about and took a position near Evelyn, so that he could drop his valuable observations into her ear as occasion offered. To Philip Mrs. Mavick was civil, but she did not beam upon him, and she did not detain him longer than to say, “Glad to see you.” But Evelyn--could Philip be deceived?--she gave him her hand cordially and looked into his eyes trustfully, as she had the habit of doing in the country, and as if it were a momentary relief to her to encounter in all this parade a friend. “I need not say that I am glad you could come. And oh” (there was time only for a word), “I saw the announcement. Later, if you can, you will tell me more about it.” Lord Montague stared at him as if to say, “Who the deuce are you?” and as Philip met his gaze he thought, “No, he hasn't the manner of a stable boy; no one but a born nobleman could be so confident with women and so supercilious to men.”