was announced. Lydia had
been at his investigation that morning, and had never admired him more.

"It's the Pulsifers we're talking about," said Miss Bennett as he
entered. "Lydia wants to be a Japanese, but there'll be lots of them. I
want her to go as an American Indian."

With a vivid recollection of him deciding a struggle that morning
between two lawyers, Lydia felt ashamed, humbled, that she should be
presented to him as occupied with such a subject as a fancy costume. His
voice cut in.

"Oh, yes, the Pulsifers! I had a card this morning." It was the same
complaisant tone--as if it mattered whether he had or not.

"Oh, do go!" cried Miss Bennett. She meant to be helpful, and added the
first thing that came into her head. "You would make a wonderful Roman
senator. I'll arrange your costume for you."

In a flash Lydia saw him before her, bare legged, bare armed, bare
throated. She recoiled, though of course it was not his fault. If Benny
had said a doge or a cardinal; but glancing at her friend she saw he was
not suited to either role. He was not fine and thin and subtle. He was
the type of a Roman senator.

"It would be a great temptation to go--to see Miss Thorne as an Indian,"
he answered, smiling his admiration at her.

"I don't think I shall go," said Lydia, waving her head slightly. "I
don't think it's dignified--dressing up like monkeys."

Miss Bennett looked up surprised. Lydia had been so interested in the
whole subject a few minutes before. She thought the girl was growing
uncommonly capricious. Albee caught the note at once.

"If they would let me go as a spectator----" he began.

"That spoils it, you know," Miss Bennett answered, but Lydia
interrupted:

"Of course, they'd be glad to get the governor on any terms."

But the question was more simply settled. Albee was summoned to
Washington to testify before a committee of the Senate which under the
guise of helping him was actually trying to steal the political thunder
of his investigation and Lydia, with her Indian costume just
completed--and Benny's, too, from a Longhi picture--abandoned the whole
thing and went off to Washington to hear the great man testify carrying
the reluctant Miss Bennett with her.

Bobby Dorset, who had said immediately just what Lydia had longed to
hear Albee say--that parties like that were more trouble than they were
worth--had been coerced by Lydia into going. She had made him get a
Greek warrior's costume, i