arty dresses, and maybe we mightn’t have any old good ones, either.”

“Why, Winnie, you have that blue——” began Marie, and checked herself as she saw a light.

“Some of us mightn’t have any new party dresses,” repeated Winona obstinately, but with an appealing look at Mrs. Bryan. She did so hope she would understand! “Anyway, the boys expect us to,” she went on eagerly. “Tom said this afternoon that we’d better get the dresses ready, only we didn’t know then what he meant.” 55

Mrs. Bryan looked at Winona’s vivid, earnest face, and—understood.

“I think you are quite right, Ray of Light. I’ll speak to the girls.”

She stood up and struck lightly on the little Indian drum to call the girls’ attention.

“Girls!” she said, “as the dance that the Scouts have asked us to is an affair to which we have been invited as an official body, it seems to me that it would be only courteous for us to wear our ceremonial gowns. So I am going to ask that you all do it.”

There was a murmur of approval all over the room. When you have just acquired a beautiful new costume it’s human nature to want to wear it early and often. There was only a plaintive wail, which Marie suppressed, from Edith Hillis:

“Oh, my lovely new green messaline!”

Winona crossed over to the place where Adelaide still sat.

“Well?” she said triumphantly.

“Did you tell Mrs. Bryan anything about me?” Adelaide demanded suspiciously.

“No, I didn’t,” replied Winona rather indignantly. “What do you take me for, when I said I wouldn’t?”

“Well, I didn’t know,” apologized Adelaide. “And—