ot care to face.

"The fact of the matter is, Nan," Miss Blake explained, "Ruth has come
here to invite you to join a sleighing party to be given--what night
did you say, Ruth?"

"The first clear one," responded the girl still sullenly.

"The first clear night," resumed Miss Blake. "All your friends are
going, and it would give me as much pleasure to have you join them as
it would you to do so, but--under the circumstances it is impossible to
do anything save--" she paused an instant, and Nan broke in impatiently:

"Under what circumstances? There aren't any circumstances! A
sleighing party! Why, it'll be just magnificent and gorgeous! Of
course I'll go. Hurrah! Ruth, you're a dear to ask me! Go? Well, I
should think so!"

Ruth fastened her fur boa about her neck, and murmured something almost
inaudible about having to hurry home.

"Well, you can count on me," cried Nan, flinging her arm about her
friend's waist and escorting her to the door. "Good-bye! Thanks heaps
for asking me! Las' tag!"

The front door slammed, and the girl came back to the library with her
cheeks aglow and her eyes flashing. "What fun!" she exclaimed. "I
know what we'll do! We'll go down to Howe's and have a supper and a
jolly good time generally. Mary Brewster and Grace and Ruth had it all
planned out for the next good snow, and I'd forgotten. O goody!"

Miss Blake was standing as they had left her, by the fire, with her
foot upon the fender and her hand upon the high mantel-shelf. Now she
took them both down and turned to Nan, saying in a low, controlled
voice:

"Nan, I want to talk to you about this party. And you must hear me
out, even if some of the things I am about to say do not please you."
She kept her eyes on the girl's face as she spoke, and saw its
expression change quickly from one of eager anticipation to one of
growing apprehension and then again to one of dogged opposition. So
vivid were these changes that she almost lost the necessary courage to
go on, for she read in them that her task promised to be no easy one.

"Well?" said Nan, tapping her foot impatiently, as Miss Blake did not
at once continue.

"Please sit down here, and I will try to say what I have to say as
quickly as possible," resumed the governess, drawing a long breath.

Nan obeyed, but with a decidedly impatient fling of herself upon the
low ottoman Miss Blake had indicated.

"As I said to Ruth," the low voice commenced, "under a