greeting the girls they knew and each one hunting for his
particular guest of the afternoon. They had brought a barge down to take
the girls to the college, and in the confusion of crowding into it Betty
found herself separated from Ethel. "I wish I'd asked her why she wanted
to know all that," she thought, and then she forgot everything but the
delicious excitement of actually being on the way to a dance at Winsted.

Most of the fraternity house was thrown open to the visitors, and
between the dances in the library, which was big enough to make an
excellent ball-room also, they wandered through it, finding all sorts of
interesting things to admire, and pleasantly retired nooks and corners
to rest in. Mr. Parsons was a very attentive host, providing partners in
plenty; and Betty, who was passionately fond of dancing and had been to
only one "truly grown-up" dance before, was in her element. But every
once in awhile she forgot her own pleasure to notice Eleanor and to
wonder at her beauty and vivacity. She was easily belle of the ball. She
seemed to know all the men, and they crowded eagerly around her, begging
for dances and hanging on her every word. Eleanor's usually listless
face was radiant. She had a smile and a gay sally for every one; there
was never a hint of the studied coldness with which she received any
advances from Helen or the Riches, nor of the scornful ennui with which
she faced the social life of her own college.

"Aren't you glad you came?" said Betty, when they met at the frappe
table.

"Rather," said Eleanor laconically. "This is life, and I've only existed
for months and months. What would the world be like without men and
music?"

"Goodness! what a wise-sounding remark," laughed Betty.

Just then Miss Hale came up in charge of a very young and callow
freshman.

"Please lend me your fan, Betty," she said. "I was afraid it would look
forward for a chaperon to bring one, and I'm desperately warm."

Eleanor, who had turned aside to speak to her partner, looked up quickly
as Ethel spoke, and meeting Miss Hale's gray eyes she flushed suddenly
and moved away.

Betty handed Ethel the fan. "I wish----" she began, looking after
Eleanor's retreating figure. But as she spoke the music started again
and a vivacious youth hurried up and whisked her away before she had
time to finish her sentence; and she could not get near Ethel again.

"Men do make better partners than girls," she said to Mr. Parson