cy plucked up the courage to say anything about who was to
be invited she found that Cora had already seen to that--Cora and Grace
Montgomery.

"I'd like to have Jennie Bruce come," Nancy suggested timidly one day.

"Goodness! why didn't you say so before?" snapped Cora.

"Why? Won't there be room for her?"

"We've made up the whole list, and the girls have been invited. We
couldn't squeeze in another girl."

"Why--why, who made up the list?"

"Grace and I. Here it is," and Cora snapped a paper upon Nancy's desk.

Nancy read it over without comment. There wasn't a girl invited to the
party at Number 30, West Side, whom Nancy liked any better than she did
Cora herself! She began to doubt if the coming entertainment was going
to be a success--as far as she was concerned--after all.

The girls ran in to see Cora again. Even Grace appeared in Number 30.
But none of them spoke more than perfunctorily to Nancy, and the lonely
girl felt herself as much "out of it" as ever.

But she had one enjoyment now that made up for many previous lonely
hours at the school. She could skate!

Clinton River remained frozen over; the ice grew thicker and the
lodgekeeper and Samuel reported each morning that it was perfectly safe.

The boys from the Academy, too, appeared. Nancy was not much interested
in them--only curious. Even the girls of her own class seemed to be very
desirous of making acquaintances among the Academy boys.

"You see," Jennie Bruce told her, "after the holidays we have
entertainments at the Hall, and Dr. Dudley lets his boys give a minstrel
show. We each have a dance during the winter--one at the Academy and one
at the Hall; and if you know some of the boys beforehand it's lots
easier to get partners at the dance."

"I'd just as lief dance with another girl, I think," said Nancy,
timidly.

"Pshaw! that's no fun," returned Jennie.

"I never _did_ dance with a boy," admitted Nancy. "Where--where I lived
only the girls danced together."

"Where was that?" demanded Jennie.

"At school," said Nancy, blushing, and sorry she had said so much now.

"Oh! a 'kid' school?" laughed Jennie.

"Well--yes."

"Where was it?"

"It--it was a long way from here," responded Nancy, slowly.

She couldn't bear to tell even Jennie--with whom she so desired to be
friends--where Higbee School was located. Of course, Jennie noticed this
point of mystery, and she looked at Nancy curiously. The latter couldn't
find another