point by it."

But Eleanor over-stepped her ambition this time. Polly quickly replied:
"Then Jack must be trying to 'win a point' when he got you to tell me
that Tom was calling on another girl, uptown."

Eleanor realized her error and had common sense enough not to endeavor to
explain it away. She merely said: "Oh well, Tom is too handsome a fellow
to be wandering about New York these nights without a guardian. Some wide
awake girl is going to snap him up the first chance!"

"Seems to me, Nolla, that Tom has been wandering about since he arrived
in the City, with a whole bevy of guardians to keep him from snares and
pitfalls. With all of us girls surrounding him, a fine chance any other
girl could have found to snap him."

Eleanor was evidently getting worsted in her well-meant plan to further
Tom's case, so she wisely decided to keep still.

Nothing was heard from Tom the next day, although Polly was sure he would
call, or telephone, before evening. Then the telephone did ring, but it
was Mr. Dalken, inviting the entire family over to his apartment for a
party that evening.

"Just an impromptu affair, you know, with some of our old friends coming
in to spend the evening."

Mrs. Fabian accepted for herself and husband, and said she would see if
the girls had any engagement. She came back to the living-room where they
were waiting for dinner to be announced.

"Are you girls going out this evening, or have you any engagement at
home?" asked she.

Nancy shook her head, and Eleanor replied: "For a great wonder, we
haven't a blessed thing on for tonight! First evening free in months!"

"Mr. Dalken wants us to come over and join some old friends, just for a
nice visit," ventured Mrs. Fabian, looking from one girl to the other.

"Fine! Anything but sitting here staring at Polly's concerned face,"
retorted Eleanor.

Mrs. Fabian smiled and went to answer Mr. Dalken, but Polly sat up and
asked Eleanor what she meant by that.

"Oh, ask yourself, Polly, you've been mooning around all day looking like
'Gottschalk's Last Hope.' One speaks to you, and you never hear what's
said. The very house could burn down but you'd never know it. You'd roast
without feeling any sensation in it!" declared Eleanor, impatiently.
Nancy laughed at both girls.

After dinner, while the girls were dressing to go to Mr. Dalken's,
Eleanor went to Polly's room to be hooked up. When she saw Polly arrayed
in one of her most fetching Paris dre