"Have you got your billet de loterie?" asked the Comtesse Leinsengen of the speaker.
"No," replied Lady De Chere with an air of pique, "but I am to have one."
"Certainly," rejoined Lady Tilney, who read the Comtesse's intended triumph; and who chose to show her, on many occasions, that if any one had a right to tyrannize it was herself, or that at least, if such a thing were attempted, it should be à qui mieux mieux.
"Certainly, Lady Boileau, there will be a lottery ticket for you, and all the other ladies; at least, I shall conceive it exceedingly wrong indeed if there is not. But should there be any mistake, depend upon my rectifying it. And now, ladies," she continued, addressing them generally, "there is one point we have not touched upon—our costume."
"Oh! demi-toilette, of course," exclaimed Lady Tenderden.
"Of course," echoed Lady Tilney, afraid lest it should be thought that she had asked the question with a view to arrange her own dress according to her friends' dictation: "but I meant, should we have a change of dress for the evening?"
"Oh! what a trouble!" said Lady Ellersby.
"Yes, my dear; but you know, after walking about all day, our dress will not look fresh for the evening," said Lady Boileau. "However, I am told, that among other galanteries our cavaliers have engaged a certain number of milliners, to be in attendance with every kind of decoration, so that we need think little on that point."
"No, really!" cried Lady Ellersby, with something more than her usual animation: "that is well imagined."