He entered into the plan, therefore, with a feeling of pride as well as pleasure, and the great project was resolved upon in a family council without a dissentient voice.

This was the party, then, to which Mr.Bernard was going.

The town had been full of it for a week.

"Everybody was asked." So everybody said that was invited.

But how in respect of those who were not asked?
If it had been one of the old mansion-houses that was giving a party, the boundary between the favored and the slighted families would have been known pretty well beforehand, and there would have been no great amount of grumbling.