There were several single hundreds of thousands openly walking about the same rooms, but while they were received very politely, they were made to feel that two millions were in presence and unappropriated, and they fell humbly back.
Fanny Newt, upon her debut in society, had contemplated the capture of the Van Kraut property; but the very vigor with which she conducted the campaign had frightened the poor gentleman who was the present member for that property, in society, so that he shivered and withdrew on the dizzy verge of a declaration; and when he subsequently encountered Lucy Slumb, she was immediately invested with the family jewels.
"Heaven save me from a smart woman!" prayed Bleecker Van Kraut; and Heaven heard and kindly granted his prayer.
Presently, while the hot hum went on, and laces, silks, satins, brocades, muslins, and broadcloth intermingled and changed places, so that Arthur Merlin, whom Lawrence Newt had brought, declared the ball looked like a shot silk or a salmon's belly--upon overhearing which, Mrs.Bleecker Van Kraut, who was passing with Mr.Moultrie, looked unspeakable things--the quick eyes of Fanny Newt encountered the restless orbs of Mrs.Dinks.
Alfred had left town for Boston on the very day on which Hope Wayne had learned the story of her engagement.

Neither his mother nor Hope, therefore, had had an opportunity of asking an explanation.
"I am glad to see Miss Wayne with you to-night," said Fanny.
"My niece is her own mistress," replied Mrs.Dinks, in a sub-acid tone.
Fanny's eyes grew blacker and sharper in a moment.

An Indian whose life depends upon concealment from his pursuer is not more sensitive to the softest dropping of the lightest leaf than was Fanny Newt's sagacity to the slightest indication of discovery of her secret.

There is trouble, she said to herself, as she heard Mrs.Dinks's reply.
"Miss Wayne has been a recluse this winter," remarked Fanny, with infinite blandness.
"Yes, she has had some kind of whim," replied Mrs.Dinks, shaking her shoulders as if to settle her dress.
"We girls have all suspected, you know, of course, Mrs.Dinks," said Miss Newt, with a very successful imitation of archness and a little bend of the neck.
"Have you, indeed!" retorted Mrs.Dinks, in almost a bellicose manner.
"Why, yes, dear Mrs.Dinks; don't you remember at Saratoga--you know ?" continued Fanny, with imperturbable composure.
"What happened at Saratoga ?" asked Mrs.Dinks, with smooth defiance on her face, and conscious that she had never actually mentioned any engagement between Alfred and Hope.
"Dear me! So many things happen at Saratoga," answered Fanny, bridling like a pert miss of seventeen.

"And when a girl has a handsome cousin, it's very dangerous." Fanny Newt was determined to know where she was.
"Some girls are very silly and willful," tartly remarked Mrs.Dinks.
"I suppose," said Fanny, with extraordinary coolness, continuing the _role_ of the arch maid of seventeen--"I suppose, if every thing one hears is true, we may congratulate you, dear Mrs.Dinks, upon an interesting event ?" And Fanny raised her bouquet and smelled at it vigorously--at least, she seemed to be doing so, because the flowers almost covered her face, but really they made an ambush from which she spied the enemy, unseen.
The remark she had made had been made a hundred times before to Mrs.
Dinks.