n which he was very splendid. He was left with
his costume and his party, and no Lydia to make it pleasant.

He had come in late one afternoon and had stayed on, as he often did to
dinner. In the middle of the meal Lydia was called away--Governor Albee
wanted to speak to her on the telephone. She sprang up from the table
and left the room. Miss Bennett looked pathetically at Bobby.

"It's to decide whether we go to Washington to-morrow," she said.

"To Washington?"

"The governor is going to testify before a Senate committee and has
invited us to come. It will be very interesting," Miss Bennett added
loyally.

"But the Pulsifers?"

"Oh, I'm surprised Lydia cares so little for that. Of course, at my age,
I'm grateful to escape it."

"Oh, Benny," said Bobby, "you're not a bit! You'd much rather go to it
than to any old Senate committee. You love parties for the same reason
that the lamb loved Mary."

"You make me seem very frivolous--at fifty-five," said Miss Bennett.

Then Lydia came back from the pantry, her eyes bright, and laid her hand
on her companion's shoulder, a rare caress, as she passed.

"We're going, Benny. It isn't closed to the public." Her whole face was
softened and lit by her pleasure.

Bobby thought, "Can it be she really cares for that old war horse?"

CHAPTER VII

It was great fun traveling with Albee. He had engaged a drawing-room on
the Congressional Limited, and with a forethought, old-fashioned but
agreeable, had provided newspapers and magazines and a box of candy. His
secretary was hovering near with letters to be signed. The conductor
came and asked whether everything was all right, governor, and people
passed the door deliberately, staring in to get a glimpse of the great
man; and Lydia could see that they were murmuring, "That's Albee, you
know, he's going down to testify."

Lydia did not know Washington at all. She had been taken there once as a
child by one of the energetic young American governesses--had gone to
Mt. Vernon by boat and home by trolley, had whispered in the rotunda and
looked at the statues and seen the House and been secretly glad that the
Senate was in secret session so that she couldn't see that, and there
would be time to go up the monument--something that she really had
enjoyed--not only on account of the view, but because her governess was
afraid of elevators and was terrified in the slow, jerky ascent. Then
during the period of her engagement