however, as his eyes rested upon Marian Barber, who was wearing a
fearfully and wonderfully made gown of gold-colored silk, covered with
spangles, that gave her a serpentine effect, and made her look ten years
older than the other girls.

On going upstairs to dress, Marian had asked Eva Allen if she objected
to dressing with Miriam Nesbit, and Eva had obligingly taken her
belongings into Miriam's room after obtaining the latter's permission to
do so. Marian had engaged the attention of Miss Putnam's maid for the
greater part of an hour, and when she did appear the varied expressions
upon the faces of her friends plainly showed that she had succeeded in
creating a sensation.

"For goodness sake, what ails Marian!" growled Reddy Brooks in an
undertone to David. "Can't the girls make her see that she looks like a
fright beside them?"

"Anne told me that Grace and Eva have both talked to her," replied David
in guarded tones. "Grace thinks Hammond has put this grown-up idea into
her head."

"Humph!" growled Reddy in disgust. "She used to be a mighty pleasant,
sensible girl, but lately she acts like a different person. I don't
think much of that fellow Hammond. He's too good to be true."

"What have we here?" whispered Hippy to Nora under cover of general
conversation. "I never before saw so many spingles and spangles
collected in one spot."

"Sh-h-h!" pleaded Nora. "Don't make me laugh, Hippy. Marian is looking
this way, and she'll be awfully cross if she thinks we are making sport
of her."

"She reminds me of a song I once heard in a show which went something
like this," and Hippy naughtily sang under his breath:

"My well-beloved circus queen,
My human snake, my Angeline!"

There was a queer choking sound from Nora and she walked quickly down to
the other end of the drawing room and earnestly fixed her gaze upon a
portrait of one of the judge's ancestors, until she could gain control
of her risibles.

The dinner was a memorable one to both the judge and his guests, and it
was after nine o'clock before the last toast had been drunk in fruit
punch. Then every one repaired again to the drawing room.

Shortly after, Grace, Anne, Nora, Jessica, Eva and Miriam, accompanied
by David, Tom, Hippy and Reddy disappeared, closing the massive doors
between the drawing room and the wide hall. Half an hour later Arnold
Evans announced that all those wishing to attend the pantomime, "The
Mistletoe Bough," could obta