Cherry vale one had to make some concessions.

The butler was wearing his dress suit as he came bearing the oyster
cocktails.

"Hello, Snowball!" greeted Raymond Bonner, genially. "Didn't know
you were invited to-night."

Snowball!? what a gosherie! With deliberate hauteur Missy spoke:

"Oh, Saunders, don't forget to fill the glasses with ice-water."

Raymond cast her an astonished look, but, perhaps because he was
more impressed by the formality of the function than he would have
admitted, refrained from any bantering comment.

The hostess, then, with a certain righteous complacence, lowered her
eyes to her cocktail glass.

Oh, heavens!

It was the first time, so carried away had she been with this new,
intoxicating feeling, that she had really noticed what she was
eating--how she was eating it.

She was eating her oysters with her after-dinner coffee spoon!

The tiny-pronged oyster fork was lying there on the cloth,
untouched!