dience about
her. She looked neither to the right nor to the left, but straight upward
to the turquoise-blue sky.

How different Tania's audience to-day from the crowd of people that had
watched her on the street corner when Eleanor and Madge had first seen
her! Yet these gay society folk were even more fascinated by the child's
wonderful art. They could better appreciate her remarkable dancing.

Tania did not even see her beloved Madge, who was silently watching her.
Tania's usually pale cheeks glowed as scarlet as her sash. Unconsciously
the little girl's movements were like those of a butterfly, a-flutter
with the joy of the sunshine and new life.

The music stopped suddenly and with it Tania's dance ceased as abruptly.
She stood poised for a single instant on one dainty foot, with her
graceful arms still swaying above her flower-crowned head. Her audience
watched her breathlessly, for the effect of the child's grace had been
almost magical.

"Wasn't that a wonderful performance?" whispered Tom in Madge's ear. "The
child is an artist! Where do you suppose she learned to dance like
that?"

But Tania had come back to earth in a brief second. To Madge's
mystification, Tania started about among the people who had been watching
her performance with her small hands clasped together like a cup.

The child courtesied shyly to a fat old lady. Her gesture was
unmistakable. The woman rummaged in her chain pocket-book and dropped a
silver quarter into Tania's outstretched hands. The next onlooker was
more generous. Tania's eyes shone as she felt the size and weight of a
big silver dollar.

Few people in the Cape May crowd knew who Tania was, or whence she had
come. They probably thought that the object of the dance had been to earn
money.

For a few moments Madge had been paralyzed by Tania's peculiar actions.
She did not realize what they meant. In this lapse of time the rest of
their party joined them.

It was the expression on Mrs. Curtis's face that made Madge appreciate
what Tania was doing.

"What on earth is Tania about?" exclaimed Lillian in puzzled tones. She
saw the child standing before a young man who was evidently teasing her
and refusing her request for money.

"She has been dancing like a monkey with a hand organ," answered Philip
Holt scornfully. "I am afraid Cape May people will hardly understand it.
It looks as though the young women on the 'Merry Maid' were in need of
money." The young man laugh