the honor of your
company on Thursday, July 14th, punctually at four o'clock. R.S.V.P.
Joppa immediately R.S.V.P.'d that it would feel flattered to present
itself at that hour, and then looked anxiously around and asked itself
"What will it be this time?" The day dawned, and still the great question
agitated public minds unsolved.

"There isn't a word to be coaxed or threatened out of Maria," said Bell
Masters. "I believe it's something too awful to tell. Mr. De Forest,
can't you hazard a guess?"

Mr. Ogden De Forest was lazily strolling past the Masters' front steps,
where a knot of girls had gathered after a game of lawn tennis, and were
imbibing largely of lemonade, which was being fabricated on the spot,
according to demand, by Phebe and Janet Mudge. The spoons stopped
clinking in the various glasses as Bell thus audaciously called out to
the gentleman. He was not a Joppite by either birth or education; indeed,
he had but lately arrived on his first visit as a summer guest, and was
hardly known to anybody personally as yet, though there was not a girl in
the place but was already perfectly well aware of his existence, and had
placed him instantly as "one of the very swellest of the swells." He was
a short, dark, well-dressed man, and so exceedingly handsome that every
feminine heart secretly acknowledged that only to have the right to bow
to him would be a joy and pride indescribable. And here was Bell, who had
accidentally been introduced to him the day before, calling to him as
unceremoniously as if he were Dick Hardcastle or Jake Dexter. He turned
at her voice and paused at the gate, lifting his hat. "I beg you pardon,
Miss Masters, you called me?"

"Yes," said Bell. "Have some lemonade?"

"No, thanks."

"Come in."

"Thanks, not this morning. I shall see you later at Mrs. Upjohn's,
I suppose."

"Yes, you'll see us all later," said Miss Bell, fishing out a lemon-seed
from her goblet. "We shall have on different dresses, and you'll be
offering us lemonade instead of our offering it to you. Take a good look
at us so as to see how much prettier we are now than we shall be then."

Mr. De Forest obeyed literally, staring tranquilly and critically at each
in turn, his glance returning slowly to the young lady of the house.
"Unless you introduce me to your friends I shall not be able to tell them
so," he replied, in the slow, deliberate voice that seemed always to have
a ring of suppressed sarcasm in it, no ma