ld friend. He saw that she felt more at home with him.
Wasn't she at last becoming like a "pal"? Yet sometimes the doubtful
impression assailed him that she was merely acting in a sort of
gratefulness for his having brought the stylish and princely James
Alexander Deming of Erie, Pay, to Villa Elsa.

Gard was quite happy when his invitation to the ball was accepted.
Both mother and daughter were most glad to go. He procured the box
and Frau Bucher, steeped in the practices of economy and judging
that his means were modest, pooh-pooed with material kindness at his
idea of an expensive motor car. He insisted on compromising by
ordering one at five in the morning for the return. It would be an
event and he wished to carry it off quite grandly for Elsa's sake.
She had never attended the Court Ball, it turned out, and, like all
maidens of Saxony, had always longed to go.

Accordingly due preparations were started by her mother and by her
in what had served, since Deming's arrival, as a kind of boudoir.
The gala affair was talked over with the usual noisiness in the
family. Anything that had to do with the King's household was
wonderful. The neighbors were exultantly apprised. Certainly the
Buchers were nowadays cutting a high figure--they to whom such
costly festivities had been unknown. No one had ever associated
Villa Elsa with the wand of prodigality, and its vulgar Americans
were dumfounding.

But, four days before the ball, Frau Bucher, in a constant condition
of agitation in her social upheaval, announced to Gard that she and
Fraeulein could not accompany him because a telegram had been
received from Friedrich. His sister at Meissen was coming for the
occasion and he took it for granted that the Buchers would complete
his company. Of course Friedrich and his sister could not be
disappointed. They were old friends--really a part of the family.
Gard, greatly disappointed, reclaimed his money for the box and
countermanded the order for the motor. It was provoking, yet such
things very reasonably happened.

The next morning another telegram from the always excited Von
Tielitz. Plans were changed. Sister did not think she would be able
to leave. Frau Bucher would much like to go with Gard. Elsa was so
anxious to dance at Court. It would be too bad to dash her
anticipations to the ground. Gard spent the day renewing the
arrangements. It was a pleasure to do so.

That evening a note couched in the spacious terms of for