This pleased her.

Like everybody else this evening, she was in good spirits.
Mrs.Toplady, much observed and courted, but seemingly quite indifferent to homage, watched the scene with her eyes of placid good-humour, the roguish smile ever and again appearing on her lips.
She lost no opportunity of letting fall a laudatory word concerning Dyce Lashmar.

Her demeanour with humdrum persons was courteous amiability almost in excess; to the more intelligent she behaved with a humourous frankness which was very captivating.

At a certain moment of the evening, she found occasion to sit down by Constance Bride, and Constance would have been more than human had she altogether resisted the charm of that fine contralto modulating graceful compliments.

Mrs.
Toplady had read the report of the social work at Shawe; it interested her keenly; she could not sufficiently admire the philanthropic energy which had been put into this undertaking--in so great a part, as she heard, due to Miss Bride's suggestions.
"I am glad to hear from Lady Ogram," she said, "that there is a probability of your being in town before long.