"
In his reaction he was quite sincere, although he felt a slight sense
of remorse as he saw the quick, faint color rise, as in those old days,
even through the to-night's powder of her cheek.
"That's like the old Kla'uns," she said, with a slight pressure of his
arm, "but we will not have a chance to speak until later. When they are
nearly all gone, you'll take me to get a little refreshment, and we'll
have a chat in the conservatory. But you must drop that awfully wicked
look and make yourself generally agreeable to those women until then."
It was, perhaps, part of this reaction which enabled him to obey his
hostess' commands with a certain recklessness that, however, seemed
to be in keeping with the previous Satanic reputation he had all
unconsciously achieved. The women listened to the cynical flippancy of
this good-looking soldier with an undisguised admiration which in
turn excited curiosity and envy from his own sex. He saw the whispered
questioning, the lifted eyebrows, scornful shrugging of shoulders--and
knew that the story of his disgrace was in the air. But I fear this
only excited him to further recklessness and triumph. Once he thought he
recognized Miss Faulkner's figure at a distance, and even fancied that
she had been watching him; but he only redoubled his attentions to the
fair woman beside him, and looked no more.
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