Madison was really a nice fellow , and quite deserved all Mrs. Hill 's encomiums . He was good-looking and well groomed -- could sing and dance divinely and play the violin to perfection . The other M.P.s were all jealous of him , and more so than ever when Violet Thayer came . They did not consider that any one of them had the ghost of a chance if Madison entered the lists against them . Violet liked Madison , and was very chummy with him after her own fashion . She thought all the M.P.s were nice boys , and they amused her , for which she was grateful . She had expected Dufferin Bluff to be very dull , and doubtless it would pall after a time , but for a change it was delightful . The sixth evening after her arrival found Mrs. Hill 's room crowded , as usual , with M.P.s. Violet was looking her best in a distracting new gown -- Sergeant Fox afterwards described it to a brother officer as a `` stunning sort of rig between a cream and a blue and a brown '' ; she flirted impartially with all the members of her circle at first , but gradually narrowed down to Ned Madison , much to the delight of Mrs. Hill , who was hovering around like a small , brilliant butterfly . Violet was talking to Madison and watching John Spencer out of the tail of her eye . Spencer was not an M.P. . He had some government post at Dufferin Bluff , and this was his first call at Lone Poplar Villa since Miss Thayer 's arrival . He did not seem to be dazzled by her at all , and after his introduction had promptly retired to a corner with Major Hill , where they talked the whole evening about the trouble on the Indian reservation at Loon Lake . Possibly this indifference piqued Miss Thayer . Possibly she considered it refreshing after the servile adulation of the M.P.s. . At any rate , when all the latter were gathered about the piano singing a chorus with gusto , she shook Madison off and went over to the corner where Spencer , deserted by the Major , whose bass was wanted , was sitting in solitary state . He looked up indifferently as Violet shimmered down on the divan beside him . Sergeant Robinson , who was watching them jealously from the corner beyond the palms , and would have given his eyes , or at least one of them , for such a favour , mentally vowed that Spencer was the dullest fellow he had ever put those useful members on . `` Do n't you sing , Mr. Spencer ? '' asked Violet by way of beginning a conversation , as she turned her splendid eyes full upon him . Robinson would have lost his head under them , but Spencer kept his heroically .
`` No , '' was his calmly brief reply , given without any bluntness , but XXXXX no evident intention of saying anything more .
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