f them. The boy
had just parted from a girl a good deal older than himself, who had
nodded to him a rather patronizing farewell, as she glided back into the
dance with a much decorated Major.

"These pre-war girls are rather dusty, aren't they?" said the boy angrily
to his partner.

"You mean they give themselves airs? Well, what does it matter? It's _we_
who have the good time now!" said the little creature beside him, a fairy
in filmy white, dancing about him as she spoke, hardly able to keep her
feet still for a moment, life and pleasure in every limb.

The two soldiers--both fathers--smiled at each other. Then Helena came
down the room, a vision of spring, with pale green floating about her,
and apple-blossoms in her brown hair. She was dancing with Geoffrey
French, and both were dancing with remarkable stateliness and grace to
some Czech music, imposed upon the band by Helena, who had given her
particular friends instruction on the lawn that afternoon in some of the
steps that fitted it. They passed with the admiring or envious eyes of
the room upon them, and disappeared through the window leading to the
lawn. For on the smooth-shaven turf of the lawn there was supplementary
dancing, while the band in the conservatory, with all barriers removed,
was playing both for the inside and outside revellers.

Peter Dale was sitting out on the terrace over-looking the principal lawn
with the daughter of Lady Mary Chance, a rather pretty but stupid girl,
with a genius for social blunders. Buntingford had committed him to a
dance with her, and he was not grateful.

"She is pretty, of course, but horribly fast!" said his partner
contemptuously, as Helena passed. "Everybody thinks her such bad style!"

"Then everybody is an ass!" said Peter violently, turning upon her. "But
it doesn't matter to Helena."

The girl flushed in surprise and anger.

"I didn't know you were such great friends. I only repeat what I hear,"
she said stiffly.

"It depends on where you hear it," said Peter. "There isn't a man in this
ball that isn't pining to dance with her."

"Has she given you a dance?" said the girl, with a touch of malice in
her voice.

"Oh, I've come off as well as other people!" said Peter evasively.

Then, of a sudden, his chubby face lit up. For Helena, just as the music
was slackening to the close of the dance, and a crowd of aspirants for
supper dances were converging on the spot where she stood, had turned and
bec