night?"

"What?" He looked at her searchingly, with a somewhat laboured attempt to
be severe. "Now--now--who do you want to dance with?"

"Anyone or no one," said Dinah boldly. "I feel happy enough to dance by
myself."

"That means you're in a mischievous mood," said the Colonel.

"It's only a Cinderella affair," pleaded Dinah. "To-morrow's Sunday, you
know. There'll be no dancing to-morrow."

"And a good thing too," he commented. "A pity Sunday doesn't come
oftener! What will Lady Grace say I wonder?"

"But Rose is sure to dance," urged Dinah.

"I'm not so sure of that, Sir Eustace Studley has been teaching her to
ski all the afternoon, and if she isn't tired, she ought to be."

"Oh, lucky Rose!" Dinah knew an instant's envy. "But I expect she'll
dance all the same. And--and--I may dance with him--just once, mayn't I?
There couldn't be any harm in just one dance. No one would notice that,
would they?"

She pressed close to the Colonel with her petition, and he found it hard
to refuse. She made it with so childlike an earnestness, and--all his
pomposity notwithstanding--he had a soft heart for children.

"There, be off with you!" he said. "Yes, you may give him one dance if he
asks for it. But only one, mind! That's a bargain, is it?"

Dinah beamed radiant acquiescence. "I'll save all the rest for you.
You're a dear to let me, and I'll be ever so good. Good-bye!"

She went, flitting like a butterfly up the stairs, and the Colonel smiled
in spite of himself as he watched her go. "Little witch!" he muttered. "I
wonder what your mother would say to you if she knew."

Dinah raced breathless to her room, and began a fevered toilet. It was
true that she possessed nothing suitable for ballroom wear; but then the
dance was to be quite informal, and she was too happy to fret herself
over that fact. She put on the white muslin frock which she had worn for
dinner ever since she had been with the de Vignes. It gave her a
fairylike daintiness that had a charm of its own of which she was utterly
unconscious. Perhaps fortunately, she had no time to think of her
appearance. When she descended again, her eyes were still shining with a
happiness so obvious that Billy, meeting her, exclaimed, "What have you
got to be so cheerful about?"

She proceeded to tell him of the glorious afternoon she had spent, and
was still in the midst of her description when Sir Eustace came up and
joined them.

"I thought you would manage it