tate rendezvous, and it should be made the noblest festival in
Rouen's history; the subscribers took their oath to it. They rented the
big dining-room at the Rouen House, covered the floor with smooth cloth,
and hung the walls solidly with banners and roses, for June had come.
More, they ran a red carpet across the sidewalk (which was perfectly
dry and clean) almost to the other side of the street; they imported
two extra fiddles and a clarionet to enlarge the orchestra; and they
commanded a supper such as a hungry man beholds in a dream.

Miss Betty laid out her prettiest dress that evening, and Mrs. Tanberry
came in and worshipped it as it rested, like foam of lavender and white
and gray, upon the bed, beside the snowy gloves with their tiny, stiff
lace gauntlets, while two small white sandal-slippers, with jeweled
buckles where the straps crossed each other, were being fastened upon
Miss Betty's silken feet by the vain and gloating Mamie.

"It's a wicked cruelty, Princess!" exclaimed Mrs. Tanberry. "We
want cheer the poor fellows and help them to be gay, and here do you
deliberately plan to make them sick at the thought of leaving the place
that holds you! Or have you discovered that there's one poor vagabond of
the band getting off without having his heart broken, and made up your
mind to do it for him tonight?"

"Is father to go with us?" asked Betty. It was through Mrs. Tanberry
that she now derived all information concerning Mr. Carewe, as he had
not directly addressed her since the afternoon when he discovered her
reading the Journal's extra.

"No, we are to meet him' there. He seems rather pleasanter than usual
this evening," remarked Mrs. Tanberry, hopefully, as she retired.

"Den we mus' git ready to share big trouble tomorrer!" commented the
kneeling Mamie, with a giggle.

Alas! poor adoring servitress, she received a share unto herself that
very evening, for her young mistress, usually as amiable as a fair
summer sky, fidgetted, grumbled, found nothing well done, and was never
two minutes in the same mind. After donning the selected dress, she
declared it a fright, tried two others, abused each roundly, dismissed
her almost weeping handmaiden abruptly, and again put on the first.
Sitting down to the mirror, she spent a full hour over the arrangement
of her hair, looking attentively at her image, sometimes with the
beginning of doubtful approval, often angrily, and, now and then,
beseechingly, implorin