among our guests in very dull or very troublous times.

Miss Hugonin smiled a little bitterly. She considered that the scales

had fallen from her eyes, and flattered herself that she was by way of

becoming a bit of a misanthrope; also, I believe, there was a note

concerning the hollowness of life and the worthlessness of society in

general. In a word, Margaret fell back upon the extreme cynicism and

world-weariness of twenty-three, and assured herself that she despised

everybody, whereas, as a matter of fact, she never in her life

succeeded in disliking anything except mice and piano-practice, and,

for a very little while, Billy Woods; and this for the very excellent