d kitchenward. It
was Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett's at-home day, and the function in full
blast, and as his services might not be required for perhaps half an
hour he had flown, believing discovery could not fall upon him.

So Suzanna, Maizie, Peter and the dog stepped within the gorgeous room.

Soft music came enchantingly from a hidden orchestra, ladies
beautifully gowned and bejeweled stood about in graceful postures. Mrs.
Graham Woods Bartlett attired in a flame-colored velvet gown with a
wonderful satin-lined train hanging straight from her shoulders, stood
near a table at which two very pretty girls were serving little cups of
tea and dainty cakes.

Suzanna, Maizie, and Peter holding tight the frayed rope with the
hungry-looking dog on one end, gazed awe stricken at the fairylike
scene. At length Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett turned and beheld her late
guests.

The children stood irresolute; some expression in Mrs. Bartlett's face
halted their advance. That look made Suzanna strangely self-conscious.
Maizie was undeniably shy, and Peter with dread at his heart for fear
Jerry (a quickly bestowed name that the dog had learned immediately to
answer to) might not act in a gentlemanly fashion when he should pass
the tea table. With all these different emotions in their hearts, the
children finally started across the beautiful room. The ladies fell back
from the dog lest in his passage he might touch their gowns, and all
gazed in wonder at the small cavalcade. When at last the children stood
before Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett, Suzanna spoke, broke into the dead
silence of the room, for even the orchestra had stopped its music.

[Illustration: "We thought you might like a dog," began Suzanna]

"We thought you might like a dog," began Suzanna. "He's a very nice dog
and very loving, although if I'm to be honest, I can't say he's a
good-looking dog." She felt her courage ebbing at the icy stillness
which greeted her statement.

For a long time Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett remained speechless, and as
the dog once had looked at Mrs. Procter, so he looked imploringly at her
who might eventually be his new mistress. Little Maizie, moved to a show
of bravery for Peter's sake, spoke up:

"We've only got a little house, and you've got a big one, so we thought
you wouldn't mind."

"And," concluded Peter, "he really is a fine dog. You can buy a nice
collar for him and maybe cut his tail--" Mrs. Graham Woods Bartlett made
a littl