liberation the blue chiffon hat strings that
made her a joy to all beholders.

"I haven't _quite_ decided," she said thoughtfully; "I might say
briskly, 'With much pleasure, my dear Mr. Kinross.' Or I might put my
finger in my mouth and hang back a little time."

"But you would accept him, Bee?"

"Oh, of course," said Bee; "wouldn't you?"

"I--I suppose so," said Dora.

Then both girls sighed.

"I wish he hadn't started to go bald," Bee said pathetically.

"I wish he hadn't started to grow stout," Dora added.

Bee pulled herself together.

"Charlie and Graham may be stout themselves by the time they are his
age," she said.

Dora felt obliged to follow suit.

"And of course you can't expect an author to have as much hair as--as
Charlie, for instance, can you?" she said.

"Oh, Charlie, Charlie!" sighed Bee. "But what shall you say if it is
_you_ he wants, Dora?"

Dora looked absolutely nervous.

"Oh, Bee--tell me, for goodness' sake, so I can be ready. Oh, I wish you
could be there to help me, if he does. I _know_ I shall just giggle."

"You mean 'should,'" said Bee calmly. "You know it is quite probable
that it is I he likes."

"Oh, yes, of course, Bee, you know that is what I mean," said the
younger girl; "but do tell me what to say. I should want him to
understand distinctly that I couldn't think of being married for ages.
Oh, Bee, I must have a bit more fun. Don't you feel like that?"

"Oh, yes, that's all very well, Do," said Bee gloomily, "but it is quite
time we were engaged. It is a very serious matter and we must face it."

They faced it, sitting side by side on the edge of the narrow hotel bed,
with their pretty little feet in their high-heeled shoes dangling
several inches from the ground.

"I am nineteen now," Bee continued, "and I can see plainly if you don't
get engaged by the time you are as old as that there is very little
chance for you nowadays. Look at my sisters, four of them older than I
and not one of them engaged. And poor old Floss is thirty-four--though
of course that's a secret, Dora."

"Oh, of course," said Dora.

"Well, I'm not going to take any risks," continued Bee; "I decided that
before I left school last year. Five disengaged Miss Kings are too
frightful to contemplate. I shall not be as particular as the girls
have been; Floss threw away one excellent chance just because the man
was only five feet."

"Oh, Bee," said Dora pathetically, "of course she did! Five