"Not at all," he denied, as he had to. "I see you in front of me, while Mrs. Lambert is merely a name. She has no grace, no humor, no spark of wit or warmth of character for me to comment on." He looked so directly at her she must take his implication to be that she did.

This was the most gracious attention she had received in a long time. She was not about to let it go. She was quite aware of her friends a few yards away watching her with amazement and envy. She would talk about Delphine for as long as this delightful and rather intriguing man wished her to.

A pretty girl in pale pink swirled by, laughing up at her partner, flirting outrageously for the brief moment she was out of her mother's reach.

A gendeman with ginger hair bumped into a waiter.

"It is not really wit or humor she has," she elaborated, prepared to go into any degree of detail. "Not that she is without it, of course," she amended. "But her charm lies rather in her extraordinary delicacy and beauty. It is not..." She thought for a moment "It is not the beauty of amazing coloring or exquisite hair, although she does have a beautiful brow. Her figure is comely enough, but she is not very tall." She herself was only three or four inches less than Monk's own height. "It is the beauty of perfection," she continued. "Of even the tiniest detail being flawless. She never makes a mistake. Oh ..." She gave a little laugh. "I daresay it is the sort of thing only another woman would notice. A man might only know there was something less attractive but not be able to put his finger upon what it might be. But Delphine ... Mrs. Lambert... always rises above the little things that trip the rest of us."

The waltz was ended and replaced by a very slow pavane, or something of the sort. The temptation to dance was removed temporarily.

"How interesting," he said, watching her intently as if there were no one else in the room. "You are extraordinarily observant, Mrs. Waterson. You have a keen eye."

"Thank you, Mr. Monk." She blushed faintly.

"And a gift with words," he added for good measure.

She needed no further encouragement. She launched into varied stories not only of Delphine but, with a little guidance, of Zillah as well. She described their social round with some flair. Under Monk's flattery she did indeed exhibit an acute observation of manners and foibles and the intricacies which give clue to character.

A waiter offered them glasses of champagne and Monk seized one for Mrs. Waterson and one for himself. He was more than ready for it. All around them was laughter and color and swirl of movement.