hat and coat he heard her catch her breath sharply with a sound like a
little sob.

Dazed with glory, he returned to the hotel. In the lobby he approached
the glittering concierge and said firmly:

"What is the Salone Margherita? Cam you get me a box there to-night?"





IV. Good Fellowship

He confessed his wickedness to Madame de Vaurigard the next afternoon
as they drove out the Appian Way. "A fellow must have just a bit of
a fling, you know," he said; "and, really, Salone Margherita isn't so
tremendously wicked."

She shook her head at him in friendly raillery. "Ah, that may be;
but how many of those little dancing-girl' have you invite to supper
afterward?"

This was a delicious accusation, and though he shook his head in
virtuous denial he was before long almost convinced that he _had_ given
a rather dashing supper after the vaudeville and had _not_ gone quietly
back to the hotel, only stopping by the way to purchase an orange and a
pocketful of horse-chestnuts to eat in his room.

It was a happy drive for Robert Russ Mellin, though not happier than