I did."

"Jim go?"

"Oh, yes, he went with the Russells. That's getting to be quite a case,
you know," Barbara said airily.

"I _thought_ that was Elinor Sparrow and her mother," Mrs. Toland said,
bowing to two ladies who were now at some distance, and were leaving the
room. "They were at that table, but I couldn't be sure who they were
until they got up."

"Was Elinor right there?" Barbara asked quickly.

"Why, yes; but as I say--"

Barbara pushed back her broiled bird with a gesture of utter
exasperation.

"I think you might have _said_ something about it, Mother," she said,
angry and disappointed.

"Why, my darling," Mrs. Toland began, fluttered, "how could I
dream--besides, as I say, I couldn't see--"

"You knew how I felt about Saturday," Barbara said bitterly, "and you
let them sit there an hour! I could have turned around--I could have--"

"Listen to Mother, dear. You--"

"And I can't understand why you wouldn't naturally mention it," Barbara
interrupted, in a high, critical voice. Tears trembled into her eyes. "I
would have given a great deal to have seen Elinor to-day," she said
stiffly.

Mrs. Toland, smitten dumb with penitence, could only eye her with
sympathy and distress.

"Listen, dear," she suggested eagerly, after a moment. "Suppose you run
out and see Elinor in the cloakroom? Mother's so sorry she--"

"No, I couldn't do that," Barbara answered moodily. "It would have been
all right to have it just seem to happen--No, it doesn't make any
difference, Mother. Please--_please_--don't bother about it."

"I'm sure Elinor didn't see you," Mrs. Toland continued. Barbara,
throwing her a glance of utter weariness, begged politely:

"_Please_ don't bother about it, Mother. _Please_. I'd rather not."

"Well," Mrs. Toland conceded, with dissatisfaction. An uncomfortable
silence reigned, until Miss Toland began suddenly to talk of Julia.

"She's a very unusual girl," said she. "She's _utterly_ and _entirely_
satisfactory to me."

"I think you're very fortunate, Sanna," Mrs. Toland commented absently.
She speculated a little as to Julia; there really must be something
unusual about the girl; Sanna was notoriously difficult to live with.

"She's not stiff--she's amenable to reason," Miss Toland said, smiling
vaguely. "We--we have really good times together."

"I hope she's improved in appearance," Mrs. Toland remarked severely.
"You remember how dreadfully she looked, Barbara?"

Barbara sm