CHAPTER XVIII.
WHO BOUGHT THE CLOAK?
Mrs.Vrain sacrificed the vanity of a lengthy toilette to a natural anxiety to set herself right with Lucian, and appeared shortly in a ravishing costume fresh from Paris.

Perhaps by arraying herself so smartly she wished to assure Denzil more particularly that she was a lady of too much taste to buy rabbit-skin cloaks in Bayswater: or perhaps--which was more probable--she was not averse to ensnaring so handsome a young man into an innocent flirtation.
The suspicion she entertained of Lucian's love for Diana only made Lydia the more eager to fascinate him on her own account.

A conceit of herself, a hatred of her stepdaughter, and a desire to wring admiration out of a man who did not wish to bestow it.

These were the reasons which led Mrs.Vrain to be particularly agreeable to the barrister.

When the pair were ensconced in a swift hansom, and rolling rapidly towards Camden Hill, she began at once to prosecute her amiable designs.
"I guess you'll not mind being my best boy for the day," she said, with a coquettish glance.