They might
be coldly polite, but nothing more could be expected. For no one could
be more conscious than Anthony was at this time in his life of the
difference between him and other men of his age, who had the advantages
of birth and education. Actually he could feel the grime of his own
hands as he clutched them nervously together under the table. Not all
the scrubbing of the past hour could altogether rid them of the soot
and dust that came of making fires and sweeping office floors. And his
clothes, although brushed until they were spotless, were worn almost
threadbare in places. The very shirt that Nan had washed and ironed
for him, had had to have the frayed ends trimmed away from the
wrist-bands.

Anthony glanced across the table. There were Nan's dark eyes smiling
at him bravely. She did not look in the least ashamed of him. And as
for Nan herself why, she was as pretty a Camp Fire girl as any one at
the table. Wearing their Council Fire costumes, each girl decorated
only with the honor beads which she had won by her own efforts, the
poorer maids and the rich ones were equally attractive. For there were
none of the differences in toilet which any other kind of entertainment
might have revealed.

But Nan was not only smiling at her brother, she was nodding at him and
trying to attract his attention. Evidently she wished him to glance
away from Miss McMurtry to his companion on the other side. And
Anthony finally did manage to turn shyly half way around.

Then with a sudden feeling almost of happiness he discovered that Betty
Ashton was on his right. She did not happen to be looking toward him
at the moment, but was talking to John Everett with more animation than
he had ever before seen her show.

Betty had no knowledge of Anthony's having been invited to Meg's Camp
Fire dinner. His invitation had not come so soon perhaps as the others
had received theirs, and afterwards for several days he had had no
opportunity for conversation with her. For of course living in Betty's
house gave him no right to any pretense of friendship with her.

Yet the moments were passing and she must by this time have become
conscious of his presence. Miss McMurtry had called him by name
several times and no human being could be entirely oblivious of a
person so near, unless under some peculiar stress of emotion.

Anthony felt his former nervousness leaving him. He was no longer
blushing; his face had become white