This good fortune fell only to great deserving, for he had spent an hour lurking outside the house in the hope of performing such offices for them.
Heaven was in his soul and the breath departed out of his body, when, after a moment of hesitation, Miss Betty's little lace-gauntleted glove was placed in his hand, and her white slipper shimmered out from the lilac flounces of her dress to fall like a benediction, he thought, on each of the carriage-steps.
It was the age of garlands; they wreathed the Muses, the Seasons, and their speech, so the women wore wreaths in their hair, and Miss Betty's that night was of marguerites.

"Read your fortune in them all," whispered Tom's heart, "and of whomsoever you wish to learn, every petal will say 'He loves you; none declare, He loves you not!'" She bowed slightly, but did not speak to him, which was perhaps a better reception than that accorded the young man by her companion.

"Oh, it's you, is it!" was Mrs.Tanberry's courteous observation as she canted the vehicle in her descent.

She looked sharply at Miss Betty, and even the small glow of the carriage-lamps showed that the girl's cheeks had flushed very red.

Mr.Vanrevel, on the contrary, was pale.
They stood for a moment in awkward silence, while, from the lighted house where the flying figures circled, came the waltz: "I dreamt that I dwe-helt in ma-har-ble halls." Tom's own dreams were much wilder than the gypsy girl's; he knew that; yet he spoke out bravely: "Will you dance the two first with me ?" Miss Betty bit her lip, frowned, turned away, and, vouchsafing no reply, walked toward the house with her eyes fixed on the ground; but just as they reached the door she flashed over him a look that scorched him from head to foot, and sent his spirits down through the soles of his boots to excavate a grotto in the depths of the earth, so charged it was with wrathful pity and contempt.
"Yes!" she said abruptly, and followed Mrs.Tanberry to the dressing-room.
The elder lady shook her head solemnly as she emerged from the enormous folds of a yellow silk cloak.