The décolletages of their elaborate dresses were very low and if ever they bent forward she blushed at how much was revealed.
Sometimes she would catch a sentence of conversation that appeared to be serious and once she heard the names ‘Houssaye’ and ‘Banville’ and had the idea that they were writers.
The dinner seemed to go on for hours.
At the end, enhanced by marsala, malmsby and sherry came fraises au kirsch, napolitains and mille-feuilles Pompadour.
Then with the coffee, to Linetta’s absolute astonishment, not only did the gentlemen light cigars but Blanche and several other of the women smoked cigarettes!
Never had she imagined in the whole of her life that she would ever see a woman smoking.
It was easy for her to watch the smoke-blowing beauties without their being aware of i
