DISAPPROVAL. 179 



next morning something very like coolness on the part of F 

 towards his wife, which was returned on hers by something 

 very like petulance. Ah ! thought we, it all comes of this 

 unlucky fancy ball ! We had often heard it declared by our 

 friend, that he hated every species of masquerade, and would 

 never allow (though this was certainly before his marriage) 

 either sister, wife, or daughter of his to attend one. But, besides 

 this aversion for such entertainments in general, he had reasons, 

 as we afterwards gathered, for disliking, in particular, this 

 fancy ball of Lord W 's. Amongst the " London World," 

 Emily would be sure to meet several of her quondam ac- 

 quaintances, perhaps admirers ; and though he was no jealous 

 husband, he preferred, on many accounts, that such meetings 

 should be avoided. 



The slight estrangement spoken of did not wholly pass away, 

 though so trifling were its tokens, that no eye less interested 

 than our own might have noticed their existence. Indeed 

 neither of the parties seemed really angry with the other, 

 appearing rather to think it incumbent on them to keep up a 

 certain show of coolness ; but whenever the sunny smile of 

 Emily broke even partially through the half transparent cloud, 

 it dissolved in an instant the half-formed ice of her husband's 

 manner. By mutual consent the subject of the fancy ball 

 seemed left in abeyance, and while in every circle, for miles 

 round, it formed the central topic, in ours it was the theme 

 forbid. Thence we tried to infer that it was a matter abandoned, 



