Madame Sagittarius, assisted by food and dry champagne, was now--as the
Prophet perceived with horror--beginning to feel quite at her ease.
She protruded her elbows, sat more extensively in her chair, rolled her
prominent eyes about the room as one accustomed to her state, and said,
with condescension, to Lady Julia,--
"Is your ladyship to make one of the party at the Zoological Gardens
to-night?"
Lady Julia, who now began to suppose that Mr. Sagittarius's crazy
passion for animals was shared by his wife, gasped and answered,--
"Are you going to the Zoological Gardens?"
"Yes, to an assembly. It should be very pleasant. Do you make one?"
"I regret that I am not invited," said Lady Julia, rather stiffly.
Madame bridled, under the impression that she was scoring off a member
of the aristocracy.
"Indeed," she remarked, with a click. "Yet I presume that your ladyship
is not insensible to the charms of rout and collation?"
"I beg your pardon?" said Lady Julia, beginning to look like an image
made of cast iron.
"I imagine that the social whirl finds in your ladyship a willing
acolyte?"
"Oh, no. I go out very little."
"Indeed," said Madame, with some contempt.
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