A Social Meteor — page 264: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

254 A SOCIAL METEOR. curt note saying that they weren’t satisfactory. Wouldn’t she dance?” And she laughed a little at the thought. “But madam,” expostulated Annette. “Madam would like nothing better,” returned Mrs. Thorne, mimicking the girl’s horrified tone “The only pathetic part of it is, that she’s not likely to get the chance, for some time yet, at any rate.” When dinner was ready her spirits seemed to revive. She laughed and joked with Annette, who waited upon her, and even went so far as to insist upon her joining her, at Cessert, saying that she hated to dine alone. She ate but little, and smoked Turkish cigarettes until the room was almost uninhabitable. The door-bell rang twice before nine o’clock, and each time she started up witha little nervous exclamation. Once it was a boy with a bundle, and the second time a note for Mr. Thorne. At a quarter past nine it rang again, and this time Joseph appeared with Lee’s card on.a tray. Her heart gave a joyful bound, and she executed a little Aas seul in front of the mirror, as the man turned his back. But she recovered her dignity again, directly, and ran to the bureau to take a final look at herself before going down stairs. It was only then that she began to realize what a strain she had been under for the past "ecomicbooks CO