IN A WINTER CITY. 227
and siUiest of her lovers for her chief favours—a
clever man had always ideas of his own, and was
sure to want to express them sometime or another.
AU she desired were listeners and echoes. Dis¬
cussion may be the salt of Ufe to a few, but
Ustenersand echoes are the bonbons and cigarettes
that no wom.an can do without.
The Lady Hilda sitting looking into the fire,
with her ej'^es nearly closed, murmured yes, and no,
and indeed, in the proper places, and let her run
on, hearing not one word. Those fingers which had
entangled themselves so softly with her own with¬
drawing the tea-rose, had left a magnetic thriU
upon her—a dreamy, lulUng pleasure.
That evening the good Hubert received a
second telegram contradicting the first, which had
announced his mistress's return, and putting off
that return indefinitely. The good Hubert, who
was driving her best horses, drinking her best
wines, drawing large cheques for accounts never
examined, and generally enjoying his winter, was
much relieved, and hastened to communicate the
happy change to Monsieur CamiUe Odissot, whom
the first telegram had also cast into great conster-
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