The men all go crazy over her , but she 's dreadfully hard to please . However , she ca n't help liking Ned . He has n't a single fault . I firmly believe it is foreordained . '' And in this belief Mrs. Hill rested securely , but nevertheless did not fail to concoct several feminine artifices for the helping on of foreordination . It was a working belief with her that it was always well to have the gods in your debt . Violet Thayer came , saw , and conquered . Within thirty-six hours of her arrival at Dufferin Bluff she had every one of the half-dozen eligibles at her feet , not to mention a score or more ineligibles . She would have been surprised indeed had it been otherwise . Miss Thayer knew her power , and was somewhat unduly fond of exercising it . But she was a very nice girl into the bargain , and so thought one and all of the young men who frequented Mrs. Hill 's drawing-room and counted it richly worth while merely to look at Miss Thayer after having seen nothing for weeks except flabby half-breed girls and blue-haired squaws . Madison was foremost in the field , of course . 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 XXXXX Madison and watching John Spencer out of the tail of her eye .
after for if in into of over that to while