myself, and I'd only be spoiling
Mary Brewster's pleasure. It's no use. I know she's not the whole
club, and I really think the rest of you would like to have me, but
somehow, knowing she didn't want me, would spoil the whole thing and
I'd just be miserable the entire time."

Ruth shook her head as if at the hopeless state of Nan's obstinacy, but
she broke in again immediately with a new suggestion:

"Besides, I don't think you can be at all sure she feels that way now.
Why, I myself heard her telling you and Miss Blake that she hoped you
and she would know each other better after this."

"Well, so we do," said Nan, whimsically. "I know now for a certainty
that she doesn't want me, and she knows that I won't go where I'm not
wanted, and if that isn't getting acquainted with a vengeance I'd like
to know what is."

Ruth laughed ruefully, but broke in, with sudden inspiration: "O dear!
You're as proud as a peacock, Nan Cutler. Louie will be dreadfully
disappointed, for she told me to tell you she counted on you to take
her out. She's never skated much, you know, and she's wobbly on her
ankles. She's afraid of the teachers, and she doesn't like to ask the
boys, because they hate to have a girl hanging on to them, and the rest
of us have as much as we can do to attend to our own affairs."

Nan's face lit up with quick pleasure. "Oh, if Louie needs me I'll
come in a jiffy. If you see her, won't you tell her I'll be only too
happy to teach her everything I know?"

"Then we'll call for you at ten sharp to-morrow morning," announced the
wily Ruth, and before Nan could change her mind she had slipped off and
left her standing with her word given at her steps.

"Where's Miss Blake?" asked Delia, opening the door in answer to Nan's
ring and seeing her alone.

"Gone off somewhere on an errand or something. I don't know. She said
she'd be home for dinner, but if she wasn't, not to worry and not to
wait."

Delia wrung her hands. "O Nan, child, why did you let her away from
you? She's gone to the Duffys; I know she has. And they've scarlet
fever in the house. The milkman told me so this morning at mass.
She's been going there for weeks, doing for them and carrying them
money and things. The youngest of the children had been sick all the
week, and now she's down with the fever. If I'd only thought to tell
her this morning! But my head was so full of the breakfast and
clearing up a bit after last night that I