At the opera that night the aristocrats of the New World were in full force. Among them were men who could not alone have wedded the Adriatic but have dowered her as well. Venice in her greatest splendor had never dreamed such wealth as theirs. There was Jabez Robinson, his wife and children, familiarly known as the Swiss Family Robinson, the founder of their dynasty having emigrated from some Helvetian vale. A lightning calculator might have pa.s.sed a week in the summing up of their possessions. There was old Jerolomon, who through the manipulation of monopolies exhaled an odor of Sing-Sing, the which had been so attractive to the nostrils of an English peer that he had taken his daughter as wife. There was Madden, who controlled an entire state.
There was Bucholz, who declared himself Above the Law, and who had erupted in New York three decades before with the seven sins for sole capital. There was Bleecker Bleecker, who each year gave away a pope"s ransom to charity and pursued his debtors to the grave. There was Dunwoodie, whose coat smelled of benzine and whose signature was potent as a king"s. There was Forbush, who lunched furtively on an apple and had given a private establishment to each one of his twelve children.
There was Gwathmeys, who had twice ruined himself for his enemies and made a fortune from his friends. There was Attersol, who could have bought the White House and whose sole pleasures were window-gardening and the accord of violins.
On the grand-tier was Mrs. Besalul, on whom society had shut its door because she had omitted to close her own. In an adjoining box was Mrs.
Smithwick, the bride of a month, fairer than that queen whose face was worth the world to kiss, and who the previous winter had written a novel of such impropriety that when it was published her mother forbade her to read it. There was Miss Pickett, a debutante, who possessed the disquieting ugliness of a monkey and who had announced that there was nothing so immoral as ennui. There was Mrs. Bouvery, who claimed connection with every one whose name began with Van. Mrs. Hackensack, one of the few surviving Knickerbockers. The Coenties twins, known as Dry and Extra Mumm. And there were others less interesting. Mrs.
Ponder, for instance, famous for her musicales, which no one could be bribed to attend. Mrs. Skolfield, who was so icy in her manner that a poet who had once ventured her way, had caught a cold in his head which lasted a week. Mrs. Nevers, mailed in diamonds; Mrs. Goodloe, mailed in pearls; and a senator"s wife in a bonnet.
The only empty box in the house was owned by Mr. Incoul, then abroad on his honeymoon.
And in and out through these boxes sauntered a contingent of men, well-groomed, white of glove, and flowered as to their b.u.t.ton-holes.
Among them was Harry Tandem, who had inaugurated silver studs. Brewster, who had invented a new figure for the cotillion, and with him Harrison Felton, the maestro of that decadent dance. There was George Rerick, who stuttered to the debutantes as he had stuttered to their mothers before them. Furman Fellowes, who told fairy tales to impressionable young girls, and who would presently get drunk in Sixth Avenue. Jack Rodney, M. F. H., and Alphabet Jones, the novelist, in search of points.
As Eden entered the vestibule of her box the curtain had parted on the second act. A Miss Bolten and her mother whom she had invited had already arrived, and Arnswald, she noticed, went immediately forward to salute them; then returning, he a.s.sisted her with her wrap. In a moment the vestibule was invaded by Jones; and Eden, after a word or two to her guests, settled herself in the front of the box and promenaded her opera-gla.s.s about the house. The promenade completed, she lowered it to the stalls. Near the orchestra a woman sat gazing fixedly at her. There was nothing remarkable about the woman. She was as well dressed, as young, and as pretty as were the majority of those present; it was the singularity of her att.i.tude that arrested Eden"s attention. But that attention she was not permitted to prolong. The adjoining box, the occupants of which she had not yet noticed, was tenanted by Mrs.
Manhattan, who now claimed her recognition with some little feminine word of greeting. On one side of Mrs. Manhattan was an elderly man whom Eden did not remember to have seen before, and behind her stood Dugald Maule.
"Eden," whispered Mrs. Manhattan, "I want you to know Mr. Maule"s uncle; he has been minister abroad you know;" and so saying, with a motion of her head, she designated the elderly man at her side. "He says," she added, "that you are the most appetizing thing he has seen."
At the brusqueness of the remark Eden started as from a sting. The old gentleman leaned forward.
"Don"t be annoyed, my dear," he mumbled; "I was in love with your mother."
Then with an amiable commonplace the old beau bowed and moved back.
Maule bowed also, and presently, taking advantage of a _recitative_, he left Mrs. Manhattan and entered Eden"s box. He seemed at home at once.
He shook Mr. Usselex by the hand, saluted Miss Bolten and her mother, ignored Jones, and dislodging Arnswald, took his seat.
"The season promises well," he whispered confidentially to Eden.
Jones, who had not accorded the slightest attention to Maule, was discoursing in an animated fashion with Miss Bolten. On the stage in a canvas forest a man stood, open-mouthed, raising and lowering his right arm at regular intervals; and next to her Eden caught the motion of Mrs.
Manhattan"s fan.
"No," she heard Jones say, "I have every reason to doubt that Shakspere was the author of Hamlet. In the first place--"
"Ah!" murmured Miss Bolten. She did not appear particularly interested in Jones or in the man on the stage. She was occupied in scrutinizing the occupants of the different boxes. "And whom do you suspect?" she asked, her eyes foraging an opposite _baignoire_.
"Another man with the same name," Jones answered, and laughed a little to himself.
Eden tapped him on the sleeve. "Mr. Jones."
"Yes, Mrs. Usselex."
"Look in the orchestra, in the third row, the aisle seat on the left."
"Yes, Mrs. Usselex."
"There is a woman looking up here. She has just turned her head. Do you see her?"
"That woman with the blonde hair?"
"Yes; do you know her?"
"No, I can"t say I know her. But I know who she is--"
"Who is she?"
"She has an apartment at the Ranleigh. Her name is Mrs. Feverill. She is a gra.s.s widow; rather fly, I fancy----"
"H"m;" said Eden, "I am sure I don"t know what you mean by "fly." There, it isn"t necessary to explain----" She turned her head--"Mr. Arnswald, would you mind getting me my cloak, there seems to be a draught."
Arnswald, who had been loitering in the rear of the box, went back into the vestibule in search of the garment.
On the stage the tenor in green and gold was still gesticulating, open-mouthed as before, and presently there came a blare of trumpets, a shudder of bra.s.s, dominated by the cry of violins, and abruptly the curtain fell.
Arnswald advanced with the cloak, and Jones stood up. The latter said some parting word to Miss Bolten and to her mother, bent over Eden"s hand and left the box. Arnswald dropped in the seat which he had vacated. It was evident at once that he and Miss Bolten had met before.
He had leaned forward, and was whispering in her ear.
"Eden," Maule began, "do you remember that ring you gave me?"
"Mr. Maule, you forget many things----"
"Why do you call me Mr. Maule? there was a time----"
"Yes, there was a time, as you say; but that time is no longer."
"You have something against me."
"I? Nothing in the world."
"Ah, but Eden, you have, though; that is evident: when I last saw you----"
"The next day I learned your reputation. It is deplorable."
"When I last saw you you gave me a ring. A serpent with its tail in its mouth. You said it meant eternity."
"Yes, I know I did; but----"
"Did it mean nothing as well?"
"A circle represents zero, does it not?"
"Eden, Eden, how cruel you can be! Will you not let me see you?"
"Certainly, I am at home on Sat.u.r.days."
"Yes, I know--Sat.u.r.day is Fifth Avenue day. Eden, tell me, do you remember Second Avenue?"
From the orchestra came a murmur, a consonance of harps and of flutes.
The curtain had parted again.