While the company were again expressing their approbation, I overheard one of them whisper to the fop: 'Come, play the girl off, and let her have your best nonsense.' The fop winked at him, and then turned to me; while I sat shocked and astonished, but collecting all my powers. 'See,' said he, 'how you have fascinated every eye. Actually you are the queen-bee; with all your swarm about you.' 'And with my drone too,' said I, bowing slightly. 'Happy in being a drone,' said he, 'so he but sips of your honey.' 'Rather say,' cried I, 'that he deserves my sting.' 'Ah,' said he, laying his hand on his heart; 'your eyes have fixed a sting here.' 'Then your tongue,' returned I, 'is rather more innocent; for though it may have the venom of a sting, it wants the point.' The company laughed, and he coloured. 'Do I tease you?' said he, trying to rally. 'How cruel! Actually I am so abashed, as you may see, that my modesty flies into my face.' 'Then,' said I, 'your modesty must be very hard run for a refuge.' Here the room echoed with acclamations. 'I am not at a loss for an answer,' said he, looking round him, and forcing a smile. 'I am not indeed.' 'Then pray let me have it,' said I, 'for folly never becomes truly ludicrous till it tries to be pert.' 'Bravo! Bravo!' cried an hundred voices at once, and away the little drone flew from my hive. I tossed back my ringlets with an infantine shake of the head, and sat as if unconscious of my triumph. The best of it is, that every word he said will one day appear in print. Men who converse with a heroine ought to talk for the press, or they will make but a silly figure in her memoirs. 'I thank you for your spirit, my dear,' said Lady Gwyn, sitting down beside me. 'That little puppy deserves every severity. Think of his always sitting in his dressing-gown, a full hour after he has shaved, that the blood may subside from his face. He protests his surprise how men can find pleasure in running after a nasty fox; cuts out half his own coat at his tailor's; has a smile, and a "pretty!" for every one and every thing; sits silent till one of his four only topics is introduced, and then lisping a descant on the last opera, the last boxing-match, the last race, or the last play, he drains his last idea, and has nothing at your service, for the remainder of the night, but an assenting bow. Such insects should never come out but at butterfly-season; and even then, only in a four-wheeled bandbox, while monkeys strew the way with mignionette. No, I can never forgive him for having gone to Lady Bontein's last rout in preference to mine; though he knew that she gave her's on the same evening purposely to thin my party.' 'And pray,' said I, 'who is Lady Bontein?'