The general opinion was that he was supplied with money by
Mrs Meddlechip, while others said he gambled; and, indeed, Barty was
rather clever at throwing sixes, and frequently at the Bachelors'
Club won a sufficient sum to give him a new suit of clothes or pay
his club subscription for the year. He was one of those bubbles
which dance on the surface of society, yet are sure to vanish some
day, and if God tempered the wind to any particular shorn lamb, that
shorn lamb was Barty Jarper.
The Meddlechips were giving a ball, therefore the mansion at Toorak
was brilliantly illuminated and crowded with fashionable people. The
ball-room was at the side of the house, and from it French windows
opened on to a wide verandah, which was enclosed with drapery and
hung with many-coloured Chinese lanterns. Beyond this the smooth
green lawns stretched away to a thick fringe of trees, which grew
beside the fence and screened the Meddlechip residence from the
curious gaze of vulgar eyes.
Kitty came under the guardianship of Mrs Riller, a young matron with
dark hair, an imperious manner, and a young man always at her heels.
Mrs Villiers intended to have come, but at the last moment was
seized with one of her nervous fits, so decided to stop at home with
Selina for company. Kitty, therefore, accompanied Mrs Riller to the
ball, but the guardianship of that lady was more nominal than
anything else, as she went off with Mr Bellthorp after introducing
Kitty to Mrs Meddlechip, and flirted and danced with him the whole
evening.
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