“Who would have thought of decoying Ray Palmer into Doctor Wesselhoff’s retreat?” exclaimed Alice Farwell.  “It was a very daring thing to do.  By the way, I wonder what the reason is young Palmer did not come with his father?  I can’t quite believe he isn’t well enough, for I saw him only the day before we left New York, and he was walking down Broadway with as much energy as any one, only he looked a trifle pale and anxious.”

“I wish he would come up for the grand hop on next Monday,” said Edith Brown.  “He is capital company, and a delightful partner.  I am going to coax Mr. Palmer to send for him.  Come, girls, he has monopolized our pretty widow long enough; suppose we break up the conference and put in our petition.”

The merry maidens were nothing loath to have another handsome escort added to their number, and, headed by the audacious Edith, they went in a body to make their request of Mr. Palmer.

“Well, it is too bad to have Ray miss all this,” he said, smilingly, when they allowed him an opportunity to reply.  “I believe it would do him good to come, and he could not help enjoying himself here,” he added, as his genial eyes rested on the bright faces before him.  “I believe I will telegraph him in the morning.”

The fair petitioners were satisfied with their success, and, dinner being announced just then, the subject was dropped for the time.

After dinner there was a progressive whist party for an hour, at the end of which there was considerable fun occasioned by the awarding of the prizes, and after that everybody was ready for the german.

But great disappointment was expressed when they found that there was one lady lacking to enable them all to participate in the dance.

“What shall we do?—­no one wants to sit and look on—­it is very stupid, and the rest of us wouldn’t enjoy it, either, to have any wallflowers about,” Kitty McKenzie regretfully remarked.  “Oh!  Mrs. Montague,” she added, as if the idea had just occurred to her, “there is your pretty seamstress; may she not come, just for this once?”

Mrs. Montague hesitated.

“Please,” persisted the generous-hearted Kitty; “she is very nice and lady-like; I am sure no one could object to her, and I know she would enjoy it.”

Two or three others seconded the proposal, and the lady then gave her consent, though with evident reluctance.

Miss Kitty, all elated with the success of her project, and never dreaming that Mona would not enjoy it, ran away to bring her down.

She found her in her own room reading a recent magazine.

“Come,” she said, with gleaming eyes, “you are to join us in the german.  I have Mrs. Montague’s permission, and we are all waiting for you.”

“I thank you very much Miss McKenzie,” Mona responded, flushing, “but I do not believe I will go down.”

“Oh, do; we need just one more lady, and some of the gentlemen will have to sit it out if you do not.  Miss Nellie Wellington has to play for us, or she would dance, so please come,” Miss Kitty urged, looking disappointed enough over Mona’s unexpected refusal.