tractive," Mollie argued,
her eyes fixed on the pile of pretty gowns which Harriet was laying out
on her bed.

"Do wear the rose-colored gown to-day, Harriet!" Mollie pleaded. "It is
such a love of a frock and so becoming to you with your white skin and
dark hair. Dear me, it must be nice to have such lovely clothes!" Mollie
paused for a minute.

Harriet turned around to find her little friend blushing.

"I do hope," Mollie went on, "that you are not going to feel ashamed of
Bab and me while we are your guests in Washington. You can see for
yourself that we are poor, and have only a few gowns. Of course it is
different with Grace and Ruth. But our father is dead, and--" Mollie
stopped. She did not know how to go on with her explanation. Somehow she
did not feel that Barbara or her mother would approve of her apologizing
to Harriet for their simple wardrobes.

"Mollie!" Harriet exclaimed reproachfully. "You know I think you and
Barbara are so pretty and clever that it does not matter what your
clothes are like. Besides, if you should ever want anything special to
wear while you are here, why, I have a host of gowns."

Mollie shook her head. Of course she could not borrow Harriet's gowns.
And, though Harriet was trying to comfort her, her tone showed very
plainly that she had noticed the slimness of the Thurston girls'
preparations in the matter of wardrobe for several weeks of gayety in
Washington.

At a little before one o'clock the "Automobile Girls" and Harriet were
ushered into the reception room of the Chinese Embassy by a grave Chinese
servant clad in immaculate white and wearing his long pig-tail curled on
top of his head.

The minister and his wife came forward. Lady Tu wore a dress of heavy
Chinese embroidery with a long skirt and a short full coat. Her hair was
inky black and built out on each side of her head. She had a band of gold
across it and golden flowers set with jewels hung above each ear. Her
face was enameled in white and a small patch of crimson was painted just
under her lip.

Bab could hardly restrain an exclamation of delight at the beauty of the
reception room. The walls were covered with Chinese silk and heavy panels
of embroidery. A Chinese banner, with a great dragon on it, hung over the
mantel-piece. The furniture was elaborately carved teakwood.

The girls at once glanced around for the Chinese minister's daughter. But
she was no where to be seen. Instead, Peter Dillon, Bab's fir