To him that hath shall be given, and much forgiven.

For it is the law of the strong and the prophets: and a little should be left to that Destiny which the devout revere under a gentler name.
* * * * * The affair made a splash in the social puddle, and the commotion spread outside of it.

Inside the nine-and-seventy cackled; outside similar gallinaceous sounds.

Neergard pored all day over the blue-pencilled column, and went home, stunned; the social sheet which is taken below stairs and read above was full of it, as was the daily press and the mouths of people interested, uninterested, and disinterested, legitimately or otherwise, until people began to tire of telling each other exactly how it happened that Gerald Erroll ran away with Gladys Orchil.
Sanxon Orchil was widely quoted as suavely and urbanely deploring the premature consummation of an alliance long since decided upon by both families involved; Mrs.Orchil snapped her electric-blue eyes and held her peace--between her very white teeth; Austin Gerard, secretly astounded with admiration for Gerald, received the reporters with a countenance expressive of patient pain, but downtown he made public pretence of busy indifference, as though not fully alive to the material benefit connected with the unexpected alliance.

Nina wept--happily at moments--at moments she laughed--because she had heard all about the famous British invasion planned by the Orchils and abetted by Anglo-American aristocracy.