But that would not be fair to you." "Indeed it would," Mary answered.

"Do let us go; we can perhaps move about a little, later, and I positively cannot breathe here now." They worked their way accordingly to the little boudoir Helen spoke of.
Their progress was not without incidents--now an acquaintance, now a celebrity, now a woolly-haired princess, now a jewelled Oriental, met them as they went; but at last they turned out of the crowd and passed into a room nearly dark, quite empty, and cool.

"Nobody has found it out yet," said Helen, sinking into a chair with a sigh of relief.
They remained silent, enjoying the quiet and fresh air.

A large window opening on a balcony occupied the greater part of one side of the room, and a glimmer of reflected light, and a murmur of voices, came from the windows of the great drawing-room which also opened to the balcony.

But both light and sound were subdued to the pleasantest softness, and the night-air was still and sweet; Mary's seat was beside the window, Mrs.
Churchill sat further back towards the middle of the room.
Presently there was a sound of steps on the balcony.