118 BY ORDER OF THE CZAR.
I know that he made ten thousand pounds last week in Primitivas — bought them at seventy and held on like grim death till they went up to two hundred and twenty. Think of the courage of a stroke like that, and the knowledge; there is not a cooler head nor a softer heart on the whole Exchange. And now, my dears, as you are in full possession of my views, I vote you go and dress for dinner and act accordingly."
They dressed together, the two sisters. Never were two young women more devoted to each other. Dolly was as proud of Jenny's clever domestic abilities as Jenny was of Dolly's beauty. Jenny admired Dolly's singing beyond even the vocalization of Patti. Dolly thought Jenny the most charming of conversationalists. There were two couches in the room to which Walter had dismissed them for the mysterious ceremony of dressing. The lounges were speedily occupied by the two ladies, in dressing gowns and slippers, attended by a clever French maid, who brought them tea in two tiny pots and then left them to decide what they would wear on this momentous occasion, for on this night Dolly was expected to bring Philip Forsyth to book, or make up her mind to accept Sam Swynford; not that Sam had proposed, but it was believed that he would do so on the slightest provocation.
"You ought to be a very happy girl," said Jenny. "How happy could you be with either."
"How did you ever make up your mind to marry Walter? " Dolly asked in a half drowsy kind of way.
"Easily enough; he was a good fellow, not a bit jealous, had a good, sound, settled income, and loved me to distraction, as he does now."
"Yes," said Dolly, "but you had lots of offers, mother says."
"Well, I don't know; I might have had, but the fact is I hadn't any more than you have, Dolly, dear."
