"The uninvitable in pursuit of the indigestible," murmured Lord Illingworth.
"Those are Lord Illingworth, and Lord Henry Wotton. They always say exactly the same things. They are awfully clever, and cynical. Those two ladies talking together are known as Nora and Dora. There's rather a curious story about each of them."
"There seems to be one about everyone here," I said.
"Well, it seems that Nora and her husband did not get on very well. He thought skirt-dancing morbid. Also, he forgave her for forging his name—in type-writing—to a letter refusing to subscribe to a wedding-present for Princess May. She said a man who would forgive a thing like that would forgive anything. So she left the Dolls' House."
"Quite right. Is that not the Comtesse Zicka? I seem to recognise the scent."
"It is—and the beautiful Italian lady is Madame Santuzza. One meets all sorts of people here, you know; by the way, there's Mrs. Tanqueray."
"Princess Salomé!" announced the servant. A little murmur of surprise seemed to go round the room as the lovely Princess entered.
"What has she got on?" asked Portia.
"Oh, it's nothing," replied Mr. Walker, London.
"I thought she was not received in English society," said Lady Windermere, puritanically.