Kenneth, "but some day after we have both been
graduated, I suppose we'll be glad that we did our digging after all."

A little later, Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield went away, amid showers of
_confetti_, and after that there was an hour of informal dancing.

Patty was besieged with partners asking for a dance, and as there was no
programme, she would make no promises, but accepted whoever might ask her
first at the beginning of each dance. She liked to dance with Kenneth,
for his step suited hers perfectly, and her cousin Bob was also an
exceptionally good dancer.

But Patty showed no partiality, and enjoyed all the dances with her usual
enthusiasm.

Suddenly she remembered that she had promised Mr. Hepworth a dance, but
he had not come to claim it. Wondering, she looked around to see where he
might be, and discovered him watching her from across the room.

There was an amused smile on his face, and Patty went to him, and asked
him in her direct way, why he didn't claim his dance.

"You are so surrounded," he said, "by other and more attractive partners,
that I hated to disturb you."

"Nonsense," said Patty, without a trace of self-consciousness or
embarrassment. "I like you better than lots of these Philadelphia boys.
Come on."

"Thank you for the compliment," said Mr. Hepworth, as they began to
dance, "but you seemed to be finding these Philadelphia boys very
agreeable."

"They're nice enough," said Patty, carelessly, "and some of them are good
dancers, but not as good as you are, Mr. Hepworth. Do you know you dance
like a--like a--will-o'-the-wisp."

"I never met a will-o'-the-wisp, but I'm sure they must be delightful
people, to judge from the enthusiastic tone in which you mention them. Do
you never get tired of parties and dancing, Patty?"

"Oh, no, indeed. I love it all. But you see I haven't had very much. I've
never been to but two or three real dancing-parties in my life. Why, I've
only just outgrown children's parties. I may get tired of it all, after
two or three seasons, but as yet it's such a novelty to me that I enjoy
every speck of it."

Mr. Hepworth suddenly realised how many social seasons he had been
through, and how far removed he was from this young debutante in his
views on such matters. He assured himself that he need never hope she
would take any special interest in him, and he vowed she should never
know of his feelings toward her. So he adapted his mood to hers, and
chatted gaily of the