"Not exactly," returned Laxton, drily; "it's more like an enraged bull. But to return to prairie fever. It's the feeling a man gets when he once sees those undulating grass plains and which haunts him ever afterwards."
"What haunts him ever afterwards?" asked the intelligent Dolly, lighting another cigarette.
"Oh, damn!" retorted Laxton, politely, and turned on his heel, quite disgusted with the ignorance of the young man. Thambits was not in the least put out by Laxton's rudeness, but began to talk to Angus about Mrs. Veilsturm, while Jiddy tried to extract a paragraph out of Laxton by a series of mild little questions about buffaloes.
"Mrs. Veilsturm's an awfully jolly woman, Macjean," said Thambits--"real good sort, you know! I think you'd like her immensely."
"Would I?" replied Angus absently, wondering how he was to ask Dolly about Miss Sheldon.
"Yes; she's got awfully jolly Sunday evenings, you know. Are you fond of baccarat?"
"Not much. Are you?" asked Otterburn, fixing his keen grey eyes on the weak face of the young man.
"Yes, rather. Only I always lose. I'm so unlucky."
"Oh, you lose at Mrs. Veilsturm's?"
"Yes. We play there on Sunday evenings. It's awfully jolly!"