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CHAPTER I

AN UNCEREMONIOUS DEPARTURE

"Oh, isn't it just splendid, Ruth? Don't you feel like singing and
dancing? Come on, let's have a two-step! I'll whistle!"

"Alice! How can you be so--so boisterous?" expostulated the taller of
two girls, who stood in the middle of their small and rather shabby
parlor.

"Boisterous! Weren't you going to say--rude?" laughingly asked the
one who had first spoken. "Come, now, 'fess up! Weren't you?" and the
shorter of the twain, a girl rather plump and pretty, with merry
brown eyes, put her arm about the waist of her sister and endeavored
to lead her through the maze of chairs in the whirl of a dance,
whistling, meanwhile, a joyous strain from one of the latest Broadway
successes.

"Oh, Alice!" came in rather fretful tones. "I don't--"

"You don't know what to make of me? That's it; isn't it, sister mine?
Oh, I can read you like a book. But, Ruth, why aren't you jolly once
in a while? Why always that 'maiden all forlorn' look on your face?
Why that far-away, distant look in your eyes--'Anne, Sister Anne,
dost see anyone approaching?' Talk about Bluebeard! Come on, do one
turn with me. I'm learning the one-step, you know, and it's lovely!

"Come on, laugh and sing! Really, aren't you glad that dad has an
engagement at last? A real engagement that will bring in some real
money! Aren't you glad? It will mean so much to us! Money! Why, I
haven't seen enough real money of late to have a speaking
acquaintance with it. We've been trusted for everything, except
carfare, and it would have come to that pretty soon. Say you're glad,
Ruth!"

The younger girl gave up the attempt to entice her sister into a
dance, and stood facing her, arm still about her waist, the laughing
brown eyes gazing mischievously up into the rather sad blue ones of
the taller girl.

"Glad? Of course I'm glad, Alice DeVere, and you know it. I'm just as
glad as you are that daddy has an engagement. He's waited long enough
for one, goodness knows!"

"You have a queer way of showing your gladness," commented the other
drily, shrugging her shapely shoulders. "Why, I can hardly keep
still. La-la-la-la! La-la-la-la! La-la-la!" She hummed the air of a
Viennese waltz song, meanwhile whirling gracefully about with
extended arms, her dress floating about her balloonwise.

"Oh, Alice! Don't!" objected her sister.

"Can't help it, Ruth. I've just got to dance. La-la!"

She stopped suddenly as