The Custom of the Country

s and old rose carpet, looked along Seventy-second St

gazed eastward down the long brownstone perspective. Beyond the P

ogram in silver. It was a disappointment, therefore, to find that Mrs. Fairford wrote on the old-fashioned white sheet, without even a monogram-simply her address and telephone number. It gave Undine rather a poor opinion of Mrs. Fairford's social standing, and for a moment she thought with considerable satisfaction of answering the note on her pigeon-blood

uld not help modelling herself on the last person she met, and the confusion of ideals thus produced caused her much perturbation when s

d not tolerate the thought of her mother's abasing herself to a denizen of regions beyond Park Avenue, and she resolutely formed the signature: "Sincerely, Mrs. Abner E. Spragg." Then uncertainty overcame her, and she re-wrote her note and copied Mrs. Fairford's formula: "Yours sincerely, Leota B. Spragg." But this struck her as an odd juxtaposition of formality and freedom, and she made a third attempt: "Yours with love, Leota B. Spragg." Thi

agg had succumbed to the abstract pleasure of buying two or three more, simply because they were too exquisite and Undine looked too lovely in them; but she had grown tired of these also-tired of seeing them hang unworn in her wardrobe, like so m

n: they looked old-fashioned already. "It's something ab

aring it again within the week was too obvious for discussion. Yet she enjoyed looking at herself in it, for it reminded her of her sparkli

ening party. Celeste, before leaving, had drawn down the blinds and turned on the electric light, and the white and gold room, with its blazing wall-brackets, formed a sufficiently brilliant background to carry out the illusion. So untempered a glare would have been destructive to all half-tones and subtle

hich the loud Indiana played Atalanta to all the boyhood of the quarter. Already Undine's chief delight was to "dress up" in her mother's Sunday skirt and "play lady" before the wardrobe mirror. The taste had outlasted childhood, and she still practised the same secret pantomime, gliding in, settling her skirts, swaying her fan, moving her lips in soundless talk an

animated in society, and noise and restlessness were her only notion of vivacity. She therefore watched herself approvingly, admiring the light on her hair, the flash of teeth between her smiling lips, the pure shadows of her throat and shoulders as she passed from one attitude to another. Only on

ather shy, less accustomed to society; and though in his quiet deprecating way he had said one or two droll things he lacked Mr. Popple's masterly manner, his domineering yet caressing address. When Mr. Popple had fixed his black eyes on Undine, and murmured something "artistic" about the colour of her hair,

their adieux were over; then, opening her door, she seized the astonished masseuse and dragged her in

ook stunning! Are you t

Fairf

ittered under their black brows. "Mrs. Heeny, you've g

Marvells? If they ain'

etter go right over to

self. "I want the best.

s and Va

oll of Fifth Avenue laying in her pink velvet bed with Honiton lace sheets on it, and crying her eyes out because she couldn't get asked to one of Mrs

"Oh Mrs. Heeny-you're lovely to me!" she breathed, her lips on Mrs. Heeny's rusty veil; while the latter, fre

lous adventures, and there had been a moment during their first winter when she had actually engaged herself to the handsome Austrian riding-master who accompanied her in the Park. He had carelessly shown her a card-case with a coronet, and had confided in her that he had been forced to resign from a crack cavalry regiment for fig

re had been sharp rivalry for her favour between Undine and Indiana Frusk, whose parents had somehow contrived-for one term-to obtain her admission to the same establishment. In spite of Indiana's unscrupulous methods, and of a certain viole

and Undine's first steps in social enlightenment dated from the day wh

iscoveries Undine noticed for the first time that his lips were too red and that his hair was pommaded. That was one of the episodes that sickened her as she looked back, and made her resolve once more to trust less to her impulses-esp

ther by membership in countless clubs, mundane, cultural or "earnest." Mabel took Undine to the days, and introduced her as a "guest" to the club-meetings, where she was supported by the pre

per reaches of the West Side: the Olympian, the Incandescent, the Ormolu; while others, perhaps the more exclusive, wer

debating clubs, where ladies of local distinction addressed the company from an improvised platform, or the members argued on subjects of such imperishable interest a

dine's tender imagination had been nurtured on the feats and gestures of Fifth Avenue. She knew all of New York's golden aristocracy by name, and the lineaments of its most distinguished scions had been made familiar by passionate poring over the daily press. In Mabel's world she sought in vain for the originals, and only now and then

pple and his friend at the Stentorian dance. She thought she had learned enough to be safe from any risk of repeating the hideous Aaronson mistake; yet she now saw she had blundered again in distinguishing Claud

aintance with a Mrs. Spoff, who was merely a second cousin of Mrs. Harmon B. Driscoll's. Yet here was she. Undine Spragg of Apex, about to be introduced into an inner circle to which Driscolls and Van D

ng cheeks. This time her fears were superfluous: there were to be no more mistakes and no more f

tantly began to tear off her dress, strip the long gloves from her arms and unpin the rose in her hair.

attitude, her head sunk on her breast, as she did when she ha

s Mrs. Paul Marvell's daughter-Mrs. Marvell was a Dagonet-and they're

eyed her with h

want to know you for,

she jeered back in the same key, her arms around his s

up her joke as she held him pinioned; while Mrs. Sprag

in his, and pressing so close that to his tire

eclared, "but I haven't go

Undine, I wouldn't ask father to buy any mor

wn under them," Mr. Spragg interrupted, raising hi

t get asked again, I've got a dress that'll do PERFECTLY,

's length, a smile drawing up t

on to it for future use, and go and select another for this Fairford dinner," he said; and before he