intended to set before
his friends.
Finally, as the dinner hour approached, all the gas jets were
ablaze; not only the side lights in the main hall, and the
overhead lantern which had shed its rays on Peter's bald head, but
the huge glass chandelier hung in the middle of the satin-
upholstered drawing room, as well as the candelabra on the mantel
with their imitation wax candles and brass wicks--every thing, in
fact, that could add to the brilliancy of the occasion.
All this, despite the orderly way in which the millionaire's house
was run, had developed a certain nervous anxiety in the host
himself, the effect of which had not yet worn off, although but a
few minutes would elapse before the arrival of the guests. This
was apparent in the rise and fall of Breen's heels, as he seesawed
back and forth on the hearth-rug in the satin-lined drawing-room,
with his coattails spread to the life less grate, and from the way
he glanced nervously at the mirror to see that his cravat was
properly tied and that his collar did not ride up in the back.
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