"Unfortunately, mademoiselle, to my great regret, I shall not even be that."
"What?" she exclaimed, in amazement, "you will not see our play?"
"But, why?"
"Oh!" he replied, dreadfully embarrassed, "for a very ridiculous reason."
"But what is it?"
"Mademoiselle—I—"
"Do please tell me why?" she said, and as she leaned forward towards him, looking so graceful and charming, the perfume from her hair plunged the young man into a sort of enervating torpor.
"Why will you not tell me?" she said at length, almost sadly; "don't you look upon me a little as your friend?"
"Oh, mademoiselle," he stammered out, "I—I cannot appear at this soiree because—you will see how prosaic my reason is—the fact is, I have not a dress-coat."