henever they pleased to spend weeks and weeks with the
newly wedded pair, who would always keep a lovely bedroom for their use.

Every one present had the good nature to receive this story as the very
newest news, and to be delightfully surprised and enchanted to hear it.

After dinner the evening passed, as usual during the holiday week, in
merry parlor games.

On Sunday the whole family went to church, where, it is pleasant to
record, the congregation stared less at the Forces and occupied themselves
more with their devotions than they had been able to do on Christmas Day.

"You see," said Wynnette, confidentially, to Elva, on their way home,
"that it was better for Odalite to take the bull by the horns at once--to
face the music promptly--to break the ice bravely--to take the plunge and
have it all over! Oh, you know what I mean well enough, Elf, although you
pretend to look so puzzled! I mean, it was wise in Odalite to go to church
on Christmas Day, just as usual--just as if nothing had happened there on
the Tuesday before--and have it all over! And now it is all over. The
great gun is fired, and no one is killed or wounded! That is to say that
Odalite has made her first appearance in public after her catastrophe, and
she has stood all the staring and has lived through it! And now she has
made her second appearance, and escaped all the staring! And the battle
has been fought and victory won! Do you understand?"

"I understand a little, but, if you go on explaining, I shall not
understand at all," replied Elva, with the cruel candor of childhood.

And the subject was immediately dropped.

On Monday morning, while the family party were gathered in the drawing
room, opening their letters and papers, which the mail messenger had just
brought from the post office, there came an early visitor.

Tom Grandiere, looking more red-headed, freckle-faced, blushing and
blundering than usual, arrived, as the bearer of a verbal invitation to
attend an informal party, to be composed mostly of young people, at
Oldfield Lodge, on Thursday evening, the thirty-first, to dance the Old
Year out and the New Year in.

"But, although," as he bashfully explained, "it was understood and
intended to be a young folks' entertainment, yet the elders of the family
were invited, and expected to be present with them."

This was quite in accordance with "the custom of the country," or, at
least, of the county, as had been shown at the Christm