There, through the shifting crowd, over flashing uniforms and diamonded tiaras, he saw her. Beside her stood a little countess, one of the noted court beauties, lotos-pale, bamboo-slender, in a _kimono_ of Danjiro blue, with woven lilies. In the clear radiance, Barbara stood almost surrounded. Her white satin gown shimmered in the light, which caught like globes of fire in the gold passion-flowers with which it was embroidered. A new sense of her beauty poured over him. She had always seemed lovely, but now her loveliness was touched with something removed and spiritual. In the blaze of light she looked as delicately pale as a moon-dahlia, but a spot of color was on either cheek and her eyes were very bright. Daunt stood still, feasting his gaze. The Baroness Stroloff paused beside him, chatting with the Cabinet Minister and the representative of the Associated Press. They watched the forms flit past in the swinging rhythm of the _deux-temps_, _kimono_ weaving with black coats and uniforms, varnished pumps gliding with milk-white _tabi_ and velvet pattens. "Pretty tinted creatures," she said. "How do they ever keep on those little thonged sandals?" "Ah, their toes were born to them," the journalist answered. The statesman shrugged his shoulders. "Waltzing in _kimono_ with men is very, very modern for our Japanese ladies," he said. "I myself never saw it until two years ago--when the American Fleet was here. That established it as a fashion. Some of us older ones may frown, but--_shikata-ga-nai!_ 'Way out there is none,' as we say in our language. It's a part of the process of Westernization!" Daunt started when Patricia's fan tapped his arm. "You're frightfully late," she said, as her partner, the German _Chargé_, bowed himself away. "Father will give you a wigging if you don't look out." "I saw him a few moments ago," he answered. "He didn't seem very fierce." "Was he still looking at those spooky curios? I can't see what anybody wants such things for! I always feel like saying what Mark Twain's man said when they showed him the mummy: 'If you've got any nice fresh corpse, trot him out.'"