ell, if you've got your things off, let's go out of doors," proposed
Silvia suddenly.

"Yes, do let's." The girls drew a long breath as they raced off.

"I think that Kathleen Briggs is too perfectly horrid for
anything"--Alexia got up close to Polly as they flew down the
stairs--"with her going round the world, and her sniffing at Silvia's
toilet set."

"Hush--hush!" whispered Polly, "she'll hear you."

"Well, I don't care; and she's going round the world to-morrow, so what
does it signify?" said Alexia. "Oh, don't go so fast, Polly. You most
made me tumble on my nose."

"Well, you mustn't come with me, then, if you don't keep up," said
Polly, with a merry little laugh, and hurrying on.

"I'm going to keep up," cried Alexia, dashing after, "but you go so
fast," she grumbled.

"We're going to have tea out on the lawn," announced Silvia in
satisfaction, as the bevy rushed out on the broad west piazza.

The maids were already busily setting three little tables, that were
growing quite pretty under their hands.

"There will be four at each table," said Silvia. "Polly's going to sit
with Kathleen and me, and one other girl--I don't know which one yet,"
she said slowly.

"Oh, choose me." Alexia worked her way along eagerly to the front. "I'm
her dearest friend--Polly's, I mean. So you ought to choose me."

"Well, I sha'n't," declared Silvia. "You crowded me awfully at Lucy
Bennett's party, and kept close to Polly Pepper all the time."

"Well, that's because you would keep Polly yourself. You crowded and
pushed horribly yourself, you know you did." Her long face was quite red
now.

"Well, I had to," declared Silvia coolly. "At any rate, you sha'n't have
Polly to-day, for I've quite decided. Clem, you shall have the other
seat at my table."

Clem hopped up and down and beat her hands together in glee. "There,
Alexia Rhys!" she cried in triumph. "Who's got Polly Pepper now, I'd
like to know!"

Alexia, much discomfited, fell back. "Well, I think that's a great way
to give a party," she said, "to get up a fight the first thing."

But Silvia and Kathleen had got Polly Pepper one on each side, and were
now racing down to the lake. "We're going to have a sail," called Silvia
over her shoulder, so they all followed, Alexia among the rest, with no
time for anything else. There was the steam launch waiting for them.

"Girls--girls!" Mrs. Horne called to them from the library, "wait a
moment. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs ar