But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had
come. Mr. Pierce thought he had an audience, and a plastic audience at
that. And these three circumstances in combination made Mr. Pierce
fairly bubbling with words. No longer would he have to waste his
precious wit and wisdom, _tete-a-tete,_ or on himself.
At first blush Mr. Pierce seemed right in his conjecture. Seated--in
truth, collapsed, on chairs and lounges, in a disarranged and
untidy-looking drawing-room, were nearly twenty very tired-looking
people. The room looked as if there had just been a free fight there,
and the people looked as if they had been the participants. But the
multitude of flowers and the gay dresses proved beyond question that
something else had made the disorder of the room and had put that
exhausted look upon the faces.
Experienced observers would have understood it at a glimpse. From the
work and fatigues of this world, people had gathered for a little
enjoyment of what we call society. It is true that both the room and its
occupants did not indicate that there had been much recreation.
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