s. Vane drew Dorothy closer. She knew that at heart, sweet Dorothy was
a bit homesick.

"We'll have a pleasant little home evening with music and games," she
said, "and you'll all feel rested by to-morrow. I'll not tell what I've
in store for to-morrow. That is a secret," she said.

Of course Vera coaxed, and the others tried to guess, but Mrs. Vane
remained firm, only laughing as their guessing grew wilder.

"Mother truly can keep a secret, but I can't," said Vera. "I mean to
keep it but first thing I know, I'm telling it."

"We all know that," said Elf, and Vera joined in the laughter of the
others.

Tuesday was fair, and Mrs. Vane, at lunch looked at the four bright
faces before her, Vera, a small copy of herself; Elf, whose mischievous
face was truly elfish; Nancy, whose gypsy beauty always pleased, and
Dorothy, blue-eyed, fair-haired, whose lovable disposition shone from
her eyes, and made her sweet to look upon.

"We shall take a trip to Fairy-land this afternoon," she said, "and
must start directly after lunch."

That was all that she would tell, and as they motored up one busy
street, and down another, she enjoyed watching their eager faces, and
listening to their chatter.

Fairy-land proved to be a wonderful play, depicting Elf-land with
fairies, water nymphs, elves and witches, goblins, and gnomes, with
exquisite scenery, beautiful costumes, and graceful dancing that held
them entranced, from the time that the curtain went up until the grand
march of the fairies at the finale.

The "grown-ups" in the audience were delighted, so it was not strange
that Mrs. Vane's party was spellbound.

Of them all, Nancy best understood the perfect art of the dancing. She
had been drilled in those dainty steps, and she saw how cleverly each
did her part.

It was an afternoon of enchantment, and when the play was over, the gay
little party howled along the broad thoroughfare toward home and they
talked of the beautiful fairy play, and the graceful girls who had
danced as nymphs.

The four days passed so quickly that when Saturday dawned, it seemed
hardly possible that it was time to return to Glenmore.

There had been a wonderful exhibition of paintings for Wednesday, a huge
fair for Thursday at which Mrs. Vane bought a lovely gift for each as a
souvenir.

Thursday they had motored out beyond the city where willows were showing
their misty green, and gay little crocus beds were in bloom. They had
stopped for