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132 She took the old man by the arm and tried to draw him toward the side entrance. But the vision of Letitia in all the glory of evening dress had been the last touch to the colonel's enjoyment on this momentous evening. He seemed to have forgotten the repulse he had just received, and hung back from his daughter's persuasive hand, looking with courtly admiration at Miss Mason. She was keen enough to see that he would again overrule his daughter and add further to the embarrassment of the meeting, and sweeping her cloak round her, she said:

"We must go too, or we 'll never find the others. Good night." And with a little smiling nod she turned with her attendant cavaliers and plunged into the crowd.

Tod, squeezing along beside her in the throng, said querulously:

"Why did n't you introduce me? I 'd have given that old man a song and dance, and he 'd have asked me down there."

But Gault, on her other side, said nothing. Once, as the crowd jostled her against him, she stole a glance in his direction, and found him looking away with frowning brows and a morose expression. She wondered if he had realized that her remarks to Viola indicated a previous acquaintance. If he had he would certainly be angry with her.

Pearl and Tod were dropped on the way