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Mellicent is here to-night; she is staying with us at the hotel." "You don't mean it! Mellicent Asplin here! How extwaordinary it seems!" Rosalind gave a chilly little laugh, and tilted her chin in the air. "You are vewy couwageous, Mawiquita. I should never have dared such an experiment. The Asplins are charming in the country, but they seem out of place in town. And your first season too!
Mawiquita, you are quite too clever!" cried Rosalind, aglow with pleasure. "Let us begin at once. It will be ever so much more intewesting than hanging about here." She thrust her hand through Peggy's arm as she spoke, and the two girls went off on a tour through the house to select the most suitable articles for their decoration of the "harem."
"But really, Peggy, I have been so accustomed to thinking of you in India that I never gwasped the idea that you might be here, till I looked up and saw you walking acwoss the woom with your head in the air, and the old Mawiquita stwide. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. You must come and stay with me, dear, and I'll tell you all my news, and we can go about together. When can you come?
"Oh, Mawiquita, so glad you have come! Mother is so busy that she can't be with me at all, and these wretched bwanches pwick my fingers! Do look wound, and say how it looks! This is weally the servants' hall, you know, as we have not a pwoper ballroom, and it is so square and high that it is perfectly dweadful to decowate! A long, narrow woom is so much better!"
At that moment Rob came back with the ices which he had managed to steer safely across the room, and Peggy casting about in her mind for a change of subject, was not at all grateful to Rosalind for repeating her last remarks for her brother's benefit. "I am just telling Mawiquita how incessantly Hector has talked about her since his weturn.
I'm sorry I aggwavated you, Mawiquita, and took all the pwaise for the decowations. It was howwibly mean, and I don't wonder you were angwy. I'm sorry that I was selfish!" "I exceedingly regret that I formed a false estimate of your character!
"Oh yes, Mawiquita, you are no better at pwetending than you used to be, and I know quite well that you don't appwove of me. I hate myself too, and twy to be diffewent, but it is no use, circumstances are too stwong for me. But it's not the way to make me better, Peggy Saville, to toss your head at me, and tweat me as if I were beyond all hope of reformation." "Rosalind oh!"
"Well, it weally would be better, wouldn't it? I will have a tway sent in to you here, and do, Mawiquita, see that evewything is swept up and made tidy at once, for I shall bring them in to look wound diwectly after tea, and we must have the wooms tidy!" Rosalind tripped away, and Peggy was left to herself for a lonely and troublesome hour.
"And drive to church in a village fly, and come back to a scwamble meal in the dining-woom! Pwesents laid out on the schoolwoom table, and all the pawishioners cwowding together in the dwawingwoom. I can't just imagine a vicarage marriage, and how you have the courage to face it, Mawiquita, I weally can't think!" cried Rosalind, in her most society drawl.
Peggy had hardly time to catch the sound of a familiar lisp before there came a quick exclamation of surprise, and a radiant vision, all pink and white and glitter of diamonds, glided forward to meet her. "It's Mawiquita! It is! Her own little self! A hundwed welcomes, Peggy! I've just returned to town, and was coming to see you to-morrow, the vewy first thing.
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