And then she came to the matter of a train-gown.  Kathleen laid out five, for Aileen had come into the joy and honor of these things recently, and she had, with the permission of her mother and father, indulged herself to the full.  She studied a golden-yellow silk, with cream-lace shoulder-straps, and some gussets of garnet beads in the train that shimmered delightfully, but set it aside.  She considered favorably a black-and-white striped silk of odd gray effect, and, though she was sorely tempted to wear it, finally let it go.  There was a maroon dress, with basque and overskirt over white silk; a rich cream-colored satin; and then this black sequined gown, which she finally chose.  She tried on the cream-colored satin first, however, being in much doubt about it; but her penciled eyes and beauty-spot did not seem to harmonize with it.  Then she put on the black silk with its glistening crimsoned-silver sequins, and, lo, it touched her.  She liked its coquettish drapery of tulle and silver about the hips.  The “overskirt,” which was at that time just coming into fashion, though avoided by the more conservative, had been adopted by Aileen with enthusiasm.  She thrilled a little at the rustle of this black dress, and thrust her chin and nose forward to make it set right.  Then after having Kathleen tighten her corsets a little more, she gathered the train over her arm by its train-band and looked again.  Something was wanting.  Oh, yes, her neck!  What to wear—­red coral?  It did not look right.  A string of pearls?  That would not do either.  There was a necklace made of small cameos set in silver which her mother had purchased, and another of diamonds which belonged to her mother, but they were not right.  Finally, her jet necklet, which she did not value very highly, came into her mind, and, oh, how lovely it looked!  How soft and smooth and glistening her chin looked above it.  She caressed her neck affectionately, called for her black lace mantilla, her long, black silk dolman lined with red, and she was ready.

The ball-room, as she entered, was lovely enough.  The young men and young women she saw there were interesting, and she was not wanting for admirers.  The most aggressive of these youths—­the most forceful—­recognized in this maiden a fillip to life, a sting to existence.  She was as a honey-jar surrounded by too hungry flies.

But it occurred to her, as her dance-list was filling up, that there was not much left for Mr. Cowperwood, if he should care to dance with her.

Cowperwood was meditating, as he received the last of the guests, on the subtlety of this matter of the sex arrangement of life.  Two sexes.  He was not at all sure that there was any law governing them.  By comparison now with Aileen Butler, his wife looked rather dull, quite too old, and when he was ten years older she would look very much older.

“Oh, yes, Ellsworth had made quite an attractive arrangement out of these two houses—­better than we ever thought he could do.”  He was talking to Henry Hale Sanderson, a young banker.  “He had the advantage of combining two into one, and I think he’s done more with my little one, considering the limitations of space, than he has with this big one.  Father’s has the advantage of size.  I tell the old gentleman he’s simply built a lean-to for me.”