heah befoah we were awake, to get the dress and to repeat the
invitation for the whole family to attend. There are evah so many white
folks invited, M'haley says. All the Waltons and MacIntyres, of co'se,
because Miss Allison is their patron saint, and they swear by her, and
all the families for whom Sylvia has washed."

"It is extremely fortunate for those of us who are going away so soon
that she set the date as early as to-night," said Doctor Bradford.
"Twenty-four hours later would have cut us out."

Phil interrupted him. "Don't bring up such disagreeable topics at the
table, Bradford. It takes my appetite to think that we have only one
more day in the Valley--that it has come down to a matter of a few hours
before we must begin our farewells."

"Speaking of farewells," said Rob, "who-all's coming down to the station
with me to wave good-by to Miss Bonham? She goes back to Lexington this
morning."

"We'll all go," answered Lloyd, promptly. "Mothah will be glad to get us
out of the way while the servants give the place a grand 'aftah the
ball' cleaning, and Joyce wants to see the girls once moah befoah she
begins packing, to arrange several things about their journey."

"How does it happen that Logan and Stanley are not going with Miss
Bonham?" asked Rob. "Isn't their time up, too, or can't they tear
themselves away?"

"I thought you knew," answered Joyce. "Miss Allison arranged it all last
night. You know she goes up to Prout's Neck, in Maine, for awhile every
summer, and this year Allison and Kitty are going with her. She has
offered to take me under her wing all the way, and has arranged her
route to go right past the place where the summer art school is, on Cape
Cod coast. Lieutenant Logan and Lieutenant Stanley are staying over a
day longer than they had intended, in order to go part of the way with
us, and Phil and Doctor Bradford are leaving a day earlier to take
advantage of such good company all the way home. Won't it be
jolly,--eight of us! Kitty calls it a regular house-party on wheels."

"I certainly envy you," answered Rob. "Miss Allison is the best
chaperone that can be imagined, just like a girl herself; and Allison
and Kitty are as good as a circus any day. I'll wager it didn't take
much persuading to make Stanley stay over. He hasn't eyes for anything
or anybody but Allison."

"He had eyes for Bernice Howe the night of Katie Mallard's musicale,"
said Betty. "He scarcely left her."

"Do yo