"I love the way you first ignored her, and then acknowledged her bow with a manner that was a perfect replica of her own," Marcia laughed. "Are you going home?" Stephanie asked, when they were drawing on their gloves; "and have you your own car here? No?--well, won't you let me drop you on my way?" "Indeed, I will," said Marcia. "Mother took the machine and left me to the tender mercies of the street car." As they came out of the store, two men who were passing took off their hats and bowed most deferentially. "Who were they?" asked Stephanie, as the car started. "Charles Porshinger, on the outside--and Henry Murchison," Marcia answered, with a look of quick surprise. "They must be new people--at least, I've never heard of them." "They've been in society about a year--they both belong to the nice clubs, and are not married." "It's comparatively easy for an unmarried man to get in," Stephanie observed. "All that he needs is to present a good appearance and to have a friend or two to vouch for him." "And if he happens to have money, it is pretty easy to--get the friends!" Marcia smiled. Stephanie nodded. "To _buy_ the friends, you were about to say. Yes, it _is_ easy now-a-days--entirely too easy." Then she suddenly thought what she was saying and to whom--and stopped. But Marcia only laughed--and answered: "Father is married--and has a daughter. We're in another class, and we're a bit--acclimated now." "And that daughter," said Stephanie heartily, "has made good--you belong!" "Mrs. Lorraine," began Marcia presently, "I don't want to seem impertinent, but did you really intend me to infer, from what you said as we came out of Partridge's, that you did not know Porshinger or Murchison?" "Yes indeed," Stephanie replied. "I not only don't know them, but I have no recollection even of having seen them prior to to-day. Why do you ask?" "I will tell you," said Marcia--"and you may make out of it what you can. Last evening I was up at the Club-house until rather late, and four or five of us were sitting in a sheltered place on the North piazza. While we were there, Porshinger and Murchison came out and sat down just around the corner. After a short while all of our party went in except Mr. Burgoyne and myself--and he was called, a moment after, to the telephone. Left alone I could not but hear Porshinger's and Murchison's talk. We had been making a good deal of noise, and they evidently thought from the silence that we all had gone in. But however that is, I heard Murchison say: "'Is there anything new in the Lorraine matter?' "'Not much,' said Porshinger. 'The thing is coming along though, never fear. Pendleton, the snob, is not invulnerable. I've found a way to reach him, and it's only a matter of a little time till he will be having troubles of his own--and Mrs. Lorraine also.' "'Better leave well enough alone,' Murchison cautioned.