"Oh! the play doesn't begin till half-past seven—be ready at quarter-past, that will be early enough; he won't call for you before then."
"What did you say? call for me? Am I not to go with you?"
"No; I will join you later; I have to go to an evening party given by my chief. I can't miss that, you understand. When a man wants promotion, he must always stand well with those above him."
"But, in that case, as you knew you were going somewhere else, you shouldn't have got a box for this evening."
"Why not, pray? If I am enjoying myself in one place, is it any more than fair that you should enjoy yourself, too?"
"But you used always to take me with you to your chief's parties."
"Yes, to the dancing parties and the musicales. But this is to be a—serious party; we shall talk politics and discuss the best method of dealing with the maturing obligations of a new Oriental railway; and you can see for yourself that women would be bored to death to sit and listen to all that. That's why there are to be no women."
"With whom do you propose to send me to the play, then?"
"Oh! don't worry about that; I have sent word to Callé! I saw him yesterday, and asked him if he would like to take you to the theatre to-night. He jumped for joy; he adores the theatre."
"But you impose on that young man's good nature."