ce it?"

"With you? I--"

"Of course not. With--well, with Aunt Ruth, Uncle Rufus's wife. You
ought to know her if you're to know him. She's just a bit lame, but we
always get her to dance the 'Lancers' once on Christmas Eve, and if you
want the dearest partner in the room you shall have her."

"I'll be delighted, if you'll tell me how it goes. If it's like the
thing I saw you dancing I can manage it, I'm sure."

"It's enough like it so you'll have no trouble. I'll dance opposite you
and keep you straight. See here--" and she gave him a hasty outline of
the figures.

His eyes were sparkling as he followed her out of the alcove. To be
allowed to dance opposite Roberta and be "kept straight" by her through
the figures of an unfamiliar, old-fashioned affair like the "Lancers"
was a privilege indeed. He laughed to himself to think what certain
people he knew would say to his new idea of privilege.

He bent before Mrs. Rufus Gray, offered her his arm, and took her out
upon the floor, accommodating his step to the little limp of his
partner. As he stood waiting with her he was observing her as he had
never before observed a woman of her years. Of all, the sweet faces, of
all the bright eyes, of all the pleasant voices--Aunt Ruth captured his
interest and admiration from the moment when she first smiled at him.

He threw himself into the dance with the greatest heartiness. The music
was played rather slowly, to give Aunt Ruth time to get about, and the
result was almost the stately effect of a minuet. Never had he put more
grace and finish into his steps, and when he bowed to Aunt Ruth it was
as a courtier drops knee before a queen. His unfamiliarity with the
figures gave him excuse to keep his eyes upon Roberta, and she found him
a pupil to whom she had only to nod or make the slightest gesture of the
hand to show his part.

"Did you ever see anything so fascinating as Aunt Ruth and Mr.
Kendrick?" asked Mrs. Stephen in her husband's ear as they stood looking
on.

"There's certainly no criticism of his manner toward her," Stephen
replied. "I'll say for him that he's a pastmaster at adaptation. I'll
wager he's enjoying himself, too. It's a new experience for the society
youth."

"Stevie, why do you all insist on making a 'society youth' of him? It's
his misfortune to have been born to that sort of thing, but I don't
believe he cares half as much for it as he does for--just this sort."

"This is a novelty to him, t