The morning call., 1890-12-14

with farcy-dress ball. When was quite
ready, 1t seemed to me that l was very
difierent person; very, pretty, very tall,
with tendency to look backward over my
shoulder. wearing. As well as beautiful,
sweeping gown, lofty and complete set of
monarchlal prejudlces. which | thought be-
, coming IN masquerade. | was fascinated
with my outward self. / could have wished
for an instant that the Declaration of indie
framed.
Then the advent of tho big, square wood
en- box from the florists anu the gracious
wonder of white roses and grasses inside,
with little buds dropping and caught in its
trailing ribbons; there is a great deal of the
essence of royal function in a drawing
room bouquet. Lady Torquilin's appear
ance gave me more ideas about my own than
the pier-glass did. Dear me-" l thought
with sudden rapture, do l really leOk
anything like that?''
We went down in the elevator one at
time, with Charlotte as train-bearer, and the
other maids furtively admiring from the
end Of the hall. A small crowd had gath
cred on each side Of the strip OF carpet that
led from the door to tue carriage. The foot
man and cOachman were as impressive as
powder and buff and brass buttons would
make them. In addition they wore
REMARKABLE FLORAL DESIGNS
About the size and shape of cabbage leaf
upon their breasts Immediately under their
Cuiuo. HAT WIS dQUInrr lulng tnat could
not have been done with dignity in America
The weather looked threatening as we
drove Off, precisely at y clock, and present
ly 1t began to rain with great industry and
determination. The drops came streaming
down outside the carriage windows; fewer
people as We passed leaned out of hansonS
to LOOK at us. Inside the carriage we were
secure from the weather; We surveyed our
trains, piled up on the opposite seat, with
complacency; we took no thought even for
the curl Of our feathers We counted, as
we drove by them to take our place, and
there were forty carriages in line ahead of
us. Then we stopped behind the last, in
the middle of a wide road heavily bordered
under the trees with damp people and drip
ping umbrellas-there for the spectacle-all
kinds of people and all kinds OF umbrellas.
nouced with interest ladies' and gentlemen,
and little Seamstresses, and loafers and rag
amui1ns, and apple women, and a large
proportion OF your respectable "lower
middle class" We sat in state among them
IN the rain, being observed and liking it. /
my neck, and Lady Torquiln's diamonds.
also heard it made very unpleasant for an
elderly young lady in the carriage in front
Oh ours, whose appearance was not approved
by pair Of candid newsboys. The police
men kept the people off, however; they
could only approach outside a certain limit
and there they stood, or walked up and
down, huddled together in the rain, and COM
planning of the clouded carriage windows.
think there came to me then, sitting in the
carriage in the warmth and pride, and
fragrance and luxuriance OF it all, one
supreme moment of experience, when bent
my head over my roses and looked out into
the raln-one thrOb of exulting pleasure that
seemed to hold the whole meaning Of the
thing was doing, and to make its covetable
nature plain. l find my thoughts center,
looking back, upon that one moment
1t was three O'Clock before we moved
again. In the hours that came between we
had nothing to do but smell our flowers, dis
cuss the people who drove past to take places
further down the line. We congratulated
ourselves upon being forty-first aud ate
tiny sandwiches done up in tissue paper,
with serious re gard for the crumbs, yet the
time
DID NOT SEEM AT ALL LONG.
Presently, when we were not in the least
expecting it, there came a little sudden Jolt
that made us look at each other precfpi-
lately. At that moment we alighted on the
wide, red-carpeted stairs, and whisked as
rapidly as possible through great corridors.
Will knots of gentlemen in uniform in
whispered Lady Torquilin, handing our
wraps to the white-capped maid Don't
let these people get ahead of us, and keep
close 10 mel and observed the same spas
modlc haste In everybody else. With our
trains over our arms We fled after the Others
spacious halls and rooms that lapse into a
red confusion, in my recollection, leaving
one OF my presentation cards somewhere on
the way, aud reaching the limit of permitted
progress at last with strong sense OF sccur-
ity and comfort. We found it in large pill
Jared room full Of regularly curving lines of
chairs, occupied by the ladies of the forty
carriages that were before US. Every head
wore Its three white feathers and its tulle
extension. and the aggregation Of plumes
and lappets and gentle movements made one
In the rear think of a flock of tame pigeons
nodding and pecking-it was very quaint"
as Lady TorQuilin said, when / pointed it
out: The dresses of these ladies' immedi-
ately became source of the liyeliest in
terest to US, as ours were apparently to
those who sat near Us. In fact had never
seen such undisguised curiosity of polite
kind before. But then did not know that
had ever been In the same room with so
many jewels 9pd brocadss and rare orchids,
and dropping feathers, and patriclAh features