eligible young man in the city.

Edith's friends, and Gus in particular, were rather astonished at the
new-comer. Laura was frigid and remonstrant, Zell and Mr. Van Dam
satirical, but Edith wilfully tossed her head and said he was clever
and well off, and she liked him well enough to talk to him a little.
Society had made her a good actress. Meanwhile on the Tuesday
following (and this was Friday) the long expected party would take
place.




CHAPTER VI

THE WRECK



On Saturday Mr. Allen's stock was rising, and he ventured to sell a
little in a quiet way. If he "unloaded" rapidly and openly, he would
break down the market.

Mr. Fox watched events uneasily. Mr. Goulden grew genial and more
pronounced in his attentions. Gus, on Saturday, showed almost as much
solicitude for a decisively favorable answer as did Mr. Fox, if the
language of his eyes meant anything; but Edith played him and Mr. Fox
off against each other so adroitly that they were learning to hate
each other as cordially as they agreed in admiring her. Though she
inclined in her favor to Mr. Fox, he was suspicious from nature, and