The Captain was talking to Mrs. Melton--a pretty little woman with languid airs. She had lived for years in Paris, and considered herself there a most necessary element of careful conservatism. Her exclusiveness, which she took _au grand serieux_, highly amused Katherine. Katherine knew her world; it was wider than Mrs. Melton's. She walked with a kindly ignoring of barriers, did not trouble herself at all how people arrived as long as they were there. She was as tolerant of a millionaire _parvenu_ as might be a duchess with a political _entourage_ to manipulate; and she found Mrs. Melton's anxious social self-satisfaction humorous--a fact of which Mrs. Melton was unaware, although she, like other people, thought Katherine subtly impressive. Mrs. Melton was rather dull too, and a few grievances whispered behind her fan in Katherine's ear _en passant_--for subject, the unfortunate and eternal _nouveau riche_--made pleasant gravity difficult; but Katherine did not let Mrs. Melton know that she found her dull and funny. Hilda for the moment was left alone with Odd, and he seized the opportunity for inscribing himself for five waltzes. "I will be greedy. I wrest these from the hungry horde I see advancing, led by your father and Mrs. Melton." He had not claimed the first waltz, and watched her while she danced it--charmingly and happily as a girl should. She was beautiful, surprisingly beautiful. A loveliness in the carriage of the little head, with its heightened coils of hair, seemed new to Odd. No one else's hair was done like that, nor grew so about the forehead. The white satin was a trifle too big for her. A lace sash held it loosely to her waist, and floated and curved with the curves of her long flowing skirt. His waltz came, and he would not let his wonder at the significance of his felicity carry him too far into conjecture. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked, as they joined the eddy circling around Mrs. Melton's ballroom. "So much; thanks to you." Her parted lips smiled, half at him, half at the joy of dancing. "I had almost forgotten how delicious it was." "More delicious than the studio, isn't it?" "You shall not tempt me to disloyalty. How pretty, too! De la Touche could do it--all light and movement and color. I should like to come out of my demi-tints and have a try myself! What pretty blue shadows everywhere with the golden lights. See on the girls' throats. There is the good of the studio! One sees lovely lights and shadows on ugly heads! Isn't that worth while?" Odd's eyes involuntarily dropped to the blue shadow on Hilda's throat. "Everything you do is worth while--from painting to dancing. You dance very well."