There was an awkward pause for a moment after he concluded; then Mollie's quick ear caught the voice of her hostess, who was just behind her, remarking:
"No, I have not seen Mr. Wentworth since he first entered the room; but I am sure he is still here."
Mollie turned gracefully toward the speaker, thus revealing Philip to her.
"You were inquiring for Mr. Wentworth, Mrs. Blackman," she observed, with a charming smile. "Behold him just at hand!"
Then, with a bow to the lady, she slipped away, leaving Philip in a white heat of rage and disappointment over having failed to win even a glance of recognition from her.
But Mollie escaped Philip only to run almost into the arms of Mrs. Temple, who also had already arrived at the conclusion that the girl's acquaintance was worth cultivating again. Mollie Heatherford, with a handsome fortune in her own right, was an entirely different person from the poverty-stricken private secretary of a year ago. She extended her hand with a beaming smile, and greeted her with much of her former maternal fondness.
Mollie's quiet "good evening, Mrs. Temple," together with the ceremonious touch of her finger-tips, was something of a facer; but the shrewd woman of the world was not one to easily relinquish a project, and she continued in her most cordial tone:
"Really, Mollie, it seems like old times to meet you in society again; and what a romantic experience you have had! I assure you, no one could be more delighted than we were when we learned of your good fortune. Are you back in the Lamonti house again this season?"
"Yes," Mollie briefly replied.
"I understand that it is very elegant—that Mr. Lamonti was exceedingly refined in his tastes, and made his home a perfect gem," Mrs. Temple continued, and determined to trap Mollie into asking her to call if it were possible.