you are," remarked Mrs. Cherry, shrewdly.

She was loud in her sincere admiration of the ungainly pile where the
Worthingtons lived; it seemed a superbly beautiful exterior to her
ideas. But when George, who for all the dinginess of his skin had a
classic countenance and a dignity of bearing which the Prime Minister
of England might well have envied him, opened the front door for
Arethusa and her cavalcade, Mrs. Cherry was suddenly stricken as
tongue-tied as Helen Louise.

George himself came nearer to losing his equilibrium than ever he had
in all his years of efficient service, when he saw what his young lady
had in tow; but he concealed his agitation with real credit to his
training.

"Is Mother in, George?"

"She's in the music room, Miss Arethusa."

Then Arethusa remembered Something, all at once. It was Something that
brought panic. She took Mrs. Cherry and her progeny into the library as
rapidly as it was possible for her to move them onward without actually
pushing them.

"I'll go find Mother," she said, hurriedly.

She left them seated, in a row of stiff attitudes of discomfort on the
big davenport, Peter still with a tight hold of his mother, who sat
erect and glassy-eyed beside him. George had been almost too much for
Mrs. Cherry.

Elinor was just coming out of the music room as Arethusa rushed toward
her down the hall.

"Did I hear you talking to any one, dear? You're rather late. I'm
afraid you barely have time to dress."

"Mother," exclaimed Arethusa, and the sound was tragedy whispered, "I
forgot it was your party to-day and I met Mrs. Cherry down-town, and I
brought her home to lunch with me!"

"Mrs. Cherry? Who...?"

"The one who was so nice to me on the train. I told you about her,
don't you remember? But, Mother, I honestly did forget all about your
party! Honest to goodness! What shall I do!"

Elinor laughed.

She was somewhat used to Arethusa's impulsiveness by this time, so this
did not seem such a very surprising thing for her to do.

"And, Mother," Arethusa's hissing whisper grew yet more tragic, "I
brought Helen Louise and Peter home with me too, they were with her
when I met her!"

"Peter and Helen Louise!! Who on earth are they?"

Elinor could not help but think that this last _was_ going a bit far;
for adding three to a carefully arranged luncheon for ten would be
somewhat of a strain.

"Her children!" Arethusa was wildly penitent. Her eyes began filling
with her eve