ds she wants," chimed in a little miss of
sixteen, "for he is a diamond merchant, you know."

This remark caused a general laugh, and then the conversation turned upon
the recent robbery, which was discussed at some length.

"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."

T