e engagements far ahead. But I
expect to be there. If I am not, my ghost shall attend."

"How shall I recognize it? Does it dance? I don't want to mistake
it for Barbee."

"Barbee shall not come if I can keep him at home."

"And why, please?"

"I am afraid he is falling in love with you."

"But why shouldn't he?"

"I don't wish my nephew to be flirted."

"But how do you know I'd flirt him?"

"Ah, I knew your mother when she was young and your grandmother
when she was young: you're all alike."

"We, are so glad we are," said Marguerite, as she danced away from
him under her parasol.

Farther down the street she met Professor Hardage.

"I know all about your old Odyssey--your old Horace and all those
things," she said threateningly. "I am not as ignorant as you
think."

"I wish Horace had known you."

"Would it have been nice?"

"He might have written an ode _Ad Margaritam_ instead of _Ad
Lalagem_."

"Then I might have been able to read it," she said. "In school I
couldn't read the other one. But you mustn't think that I did not
read a great deal of Latin. The professor used to say that I read
my Latin b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l-l-y, but that I didn't get much English
out of it. I told him I got as much English out of it as the
Romans did, and that they certainly ought to have known what it was
meant for."

"That must have taught him a lesson!"

"Oh, he said I'd do: I was called the girl who read Latin
perfectly, regardless of English. And, then, I won a prize for an
essay on the three most important things that the United States has
contributed to the civilizations of the Old World. I said they
were tobacco, wild turkeys and idle curiosity. Of course every one
knew about tobacco and turkeys; but wasn't it clever of me to think
of idle curiosity? Now, wasn't it? I made a long list of things
and then I selected these from my list."

"I'd like to know what the other things were!"

"Oh, I've forgotten now! But they were very important at the time.
Are you coming to my ball?"

"I hope to come."

"And is Miss Anna coming?"

"Miss Anna is coming. She is coming as a man; and she is going to
bring a lady."

"How is she going to dress as a man?" said Marguerite, as she
danced away from him under her parasol.

She strolled slowly on until she reached the street of justice and
the jail; turning into this, she passed up the side opposite the
law offices. Her parasol rested far back on one s