Page:In a winter city, by Ouida.djvu/238

Rh "Yes. There they are," said Madame Mila, unconscious of any satire. " I never saw such luxe—no, not even in the dear old Emperor's time—the things everybody got must have cost hundreds of thousands of francs. Certainly little Dickie managed it beautifully. He ordered the whole affair, you know."

"Little Dickie, or anybody else, could float Medea herself in society if she would brew cotillon toys of a new sort in her cauldron," said the Lady Hilda.

"Medea?" said Madame Mila, who knew about her because she had seen Ristori so often. "Poor thing! it was that horrid Jason that deserved to be put out of society, only men never do get put out of it for anything they do; I don't know how it is—we cut no end of women, but we never cut a man. Well, I assure you, my dear, the ball was charming—charming, though you do look so contemptuous. We had all our own people, and saw nobody else, all night. I don't think I need bow to the woman, do you? I'm not supposed to have seen her, though I do know her by sight, a little podgy sunburnt-looking