ll the rest were to be taken in the confidence;
but she looked so conscious, and Jim was so positive, that she admitted
the fact.

"That's just like a theological student."

"It is a very suitable engagement. Mrs. Dean has brought Josie up
sensibly; and Charles is such a fine fellow. Of course they must all be
pleased about it," commented Mrs. Underhill.

CHAPTER XX

MISS NAN UNDERHILL

Just a few days later, Mrs. Odell came down for some advice and help,
for Janey was to be married. Her betrothed was a well-to-do young farmer
up in Sullivan County. He was coming down in August to go to the World's
Fair; and he wanted to be married and make a general holiday of it.

"I am not much judge of such matters; but Stephen's wife will go
shopping with you. I don't know what we should do without her," said
Mrs. Underhill.

That very morning two silver-embossed envelopes came for Miss Nan
Underhill. One schoolmate was to be married in church at noon, and go to
Niagara on a wedding journey. The other was an evening ceremony with a
reception afterward. Mr. James Underhill had an invitation to this also.

Was all the world getting married, or being engaged! Standing on the
threshold, Hanny shrank back in dismay. It was looking out of a tranquil
cloister into a great, unknown world; and it gave her a mysterious
shiver. She didn't feel safe and warm until she had dropped on her
father's knee, and had his strong, fond arms about her.

Dolly's party was a great success. The young people were invited to meet
Miss Nan Underhill. And Miss Nan wore her graduation dress and blue
ribbons. Blue gave her a sort of ethereal look; pink added a kind of
blossomy sweetness.

Dolly knew so many young folks. True, there were some older ones. Ben
and Delia came up for an hour. Dolly said they were old-fashioned
married people already. Hanny thought there didn't seem much difference,
only Ben had a new strange sort of sweetness. She was very fond of
Delia; and it was a delight to feel free to go down to Beach Street.

Peter and Paulus Beekman came; and they were nice, fine, rather stout
young men. Peter was a lawyer; he and Jim were quite friends. Paulus was
in shipping business.

"Oh," said Peter to Nan, "you look just as you did when you were a
little girl and used to come to grandfather's. Do you remember that
beautiful Angora cat? That was grandfather's sign. He always took to
people Katschina liked. And your hair hasn't grown