might as well begin. The
feast awaits you downstairs in the dining room; that is, a very small
part of it. There is one beautiful feature about this luncheon, we are
to have plenty of exercise between each course. Are all of you hungry?"

There was a lively chorus of affirmatives.

"Then choose your partners and come along," ordered the little
curly-haired girl.

It did not take long to dispose of the oysters, and, headed by Sara and
Julia Emerson, the little procession of girls moved on to Ralston House,
where the twins were to play hostess and serve the soup.

"You can thank your stars and me that you don't have to squeeze into our
room and eat your soup from cups instead of Mrs. Bryant's best soup
plates," Julia informed her guests as they swarmed up the steps. "Mrs.
Bryant couldn't see this luncheon at first. She had no appreciation of
what a really important affair it was to be. I had to use all my
persuasive powers on her. But I won, and she descended to the kitchen
and made the soup herself."

"I think we owe Julia a special vote of thanks," declared Miriam Nesbit
a little later, as she finished her soup. "This vermicelli soup is the
best I ever tasted."

"It can't be beaten, can it?" asked Sara Emerson eagerly. "That was why
we were so anxious to take the soup course on our shoulders. We knew
what was in store for us if we could make Mrs. Bryant see things in our
light."

"S-h-h, she's coming!" warned Julia. "For goodness' sake, Sara, be
careful."

Mrs. Bryant, a rather austere person and not in the least like her
sister, Mrs. Elwood, who managed Wayne Hall, walked into the dining room
at this juncture, apparently in the best of humors.

Arline glanced inquiringly at Grace, who nodded slightly, whereupon the
dainty president of the Semper Fidelis Club rose and made the matron a
pretty little speech of thanks in behalf of the club. Then the luncheon
party started on their way again, Mrs. Bryant hospitably seeing them to
the door and extending a smiling invitation to come again.

"I knew she couldn't resist us," chuckled Sara Emerson, as the girls
filed down the walk. "A combination like ours is safe to make its way
anywhere. Come on, Marian and Elizabeth, you are the hostesses now.
Shall we head for Livingstone Hall?"

"No, indeed," smiled Marian. "Bess and I are not so lucky. It is
Vinton's for ours. But we can assure you that you won't be disappointed
in the layout."

One of the features of the