banked up in the background, attentive servants to wave you forward;
more servants to greet you at the head of the staircase, to help you to
unwrap in the bedroom, and make you feel ashamed that your tweed coat
was not an opera mantle, like the charming specimens displayed on the
bed!

In the drawing-room quite a number of guests were assembled, and Miles
was relieved to discover that he was by no means the only member of his
sex. Betty's first shyness died away as Christabel smiled at her across
the room, and patted the empty seat by her side with an inviting
gesture. She looked very charming and imposing in her evening dress,
but when Betty ventured to admire it she was informed that it was "A
rag, my dear--a prehistoric _rag_!" and warned that at any moment the
worn-out fabric might be expected to fly asunder, when "As you love me,
fling yourself upon me, and _hurl_ me from the room! My entertainment
comes on last of all. I arranged it so for a special reason,"
Christabel explained, with the _grande dame_ air which was one of her
chief characteristics. "We are to draw lots for the rest, so that there
shall be no favouritism."

Presently the lots were drawn, and who should draw number one but Jill,
the casual and unprepared! Betty blushed for her, and felt a wild
longing to creep beneath the grand piano, but Jill herself laughed, and
went forward to seat herself on a chair facing the whole assembly with
undisturbed composure.

Everyone stared at her, and she stared back, dropping her head on one
side, and screwing up her saucy nose with a transparent pretence of
embarrassment, which aroused the first laugh of the evening. Everybody
was amused and interested, and ready to be pleased, so that the
announcement, "I'm going to ask riddles!" instead of falling flat, as
might have been expected, was received with quite a burst of applause.
And there she sat asking riddles--venerable old chestnuts for the most
part, and the marvel of it was that it was a most lively performance,
for the orthodox answers were mischievously replaced by newer and more
amusing editions, and one person after another would cry, "That reminds
me--do you know what is the difference," etcetera, etcetera, so that
presently everyone was asking riddles and catches, and really good ones
into the bargain, and it was only after fifteen minutes had elapsed that
Jill retired from her post beneath a hurricane of applause. Happy Jill,
it was her bir