"
"Then it was Ellen?"
"How should I know? I did not see you. I was too busy flirting with my
husband--for after awhile I found that it was Matt, of course! It seems
some sort of fate that I never see a handsome man who doesn't turn out
to be Matt."
"I must have one more dance," I said.
"Then select some other partner. It is too late to find Ellen now, or to
get a word with her if we did. The last I saw of her she was simply
persecuted by Larry Belknap of the Ninth Dragoons--all the Army knows
that he's awfully gone over Ellen."
"But we'll find her somewhere--"
"No, Jack, you'd better banish Ellen, and all the rest. Take my advice
and run over home and go to bed. You forget you've the match on for
to-morrow; and I must say, not wanting to disturb you in the least, I
believe you're going to need all your nerve. There's Scotch on the
sideboard, but don't drink champagne."
The scene had lost interest to me. The lights had paled, the music was
less sweet.
Presently I strolled over to Number 16 and got Johnson to show me my
little room. But I did very little at the business of sleeping; and when
at last I slept I saw a long row of figures in alternate black and
white; and of these one wore a red rose and a gold comb with a jewel in
it, and her hair was very fragrant.
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