five minutes had elapsed he was bowing before her while a mutual
friend murmured his name. One does not know how young ladies manage
these little affairs, but the fact remains that they are managed.
Moreover, it is a singular thing that the young persons who succeed
in the ballroom rarely succeed on the larger and rougher floor of
life. Your belle of the ball, like your Senior Wrangler, never
seems to do much afterwards--and Afterwards is Life.

The other young men rather fell back before Guy Oscard--scared,
perhaps, by his long stride, and afraid that he might crush their
puny toes. This enabled Miss Chyne to give him the very next dance,
of which the music was commencing.

"I feel rather out of all this," said Oscard, as they moved away
together. "You must excuse uncouthness."

"I see no signs of it," laughed Millicent. "You are behaving very
nicely. You cannot help being larger and stronger than--the others.
I should say it was an advantage and something to be proud of."

"Oh, it is not that," replied Oscard; "it is a feeling of
unkemptness and want of smartness among these men who look so clean
and correct. Shall we dance?"

He looked down at her, with an admiration which almost amounted to
awe, as if afraid of entering the throng with such a dainty and
wonderful charge upon his powers of steering. Millicent Chyne saw
the glance and liked it. It was different from the others, quite
devoid of criticism, rather simple and full of honest admiration.
She was so beautiful that she could hardly be expected to be unaware