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, be- 

 sides 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 

 acquaintances, 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 in- 

 terested 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 trans- 

 parent 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 



