this social atmosphere were peculiarly her own. Helene, a stranger to
such society, was content to listen, merely interjecting a remark or
brief reply every now and then.

At last the door was again thrown open and the footman announced:
"Madame de Chermette! Madame Tissot!"

Two ladies entered, magnificently dressed. Madame Deberle rose eagerly
to meet them, and the train of her black silk gown, heavily decked
with trimmings, trailed so far behind her that she had to kick it out
of her way whenever she happened to turn round. A confused babel of
greetings in shrill voices arose.

"Oh! how kind of you! I declare I never see you!"

"You know we come about that lottery."

"Yes: I know, I know."

"Oh! we cannot sit down. We have to call at twenty houses yet."

"Come now, you are not going to run away at once!"

And then the visitors finished by sitting down on the edge of a couch;
the chatter beginning again, shriller than ever.

"Well! what do you think of yesterday at the Vaudeville?"

"Oh! it was splendid!"