Lucile, who had never dreamed of anything like this, suddenly found
herself the very center of attraction. The crowd was always thickest
about her and Jessie and Evelyn, and she was so deluged with requests for
the next dance that her order was filled in no time and Jack had all he
could do to squeeze in two numbers at the very end.

Some of the boys, to be perfectly frank, quite a few, were awkward and
stepped on the toes of her dainty little white pumps until they were very
nearly black, but she was so happy as to be absolutely oblivious of such
trifles, while the awkward youths fell entirely under the spell of her
sparkling, fun-filled eyes and the merry, bubbling laugh that seemed to
overflow from sheer joy.

Once Jessie managed to whisper to her, "Miss--Mrs. Wescott didn't say she
was going to have such a wonderful affair as this. Were you in the
secret, Lucy?"

"No; there wasn't any secret. Our guardian just did it as a splendid
surprise, the dear," said Lucile, and her eyes traveled to where her
guardian and her husband were standing with a group of older people who
had come later in the evening to enjoy the fun and to help the young
Wescotts do the chaperoning.

"She is all right," agreed Jessie. "And doesn't Jack Wescott look
splendid? I believe he's handsomer now than he was in the country."

"He is fine looking," Lucile admitted, grudgingly. "Just the same, I'll
never quite forgive him."

Jack took Lucile into dinner. It required skillful manoeuvering on his
part and he never could tell afterward how it happened, but the fact
remains that he finally succeeded in extricating her from the mob and
started with her toward the dining-room.

"Where's Jessie? I promised to wait for her," said Lucile, half turning
round. "She's lost in the crowd, I guess."

"Probably," said Jack, perfectly satisfied with this solution. "You
needn't worry about her. Phil will see that she finds her way to the
dining-room all right."

"I shouldn't wonder," laughed Lucile, and so the matter was settled, to
their satisfaction at least.

After dinner the last few dances passed rapidly--far too quickly for the
happy young folks. As the last notes of "Home, Sweet Home" died away,
Jack turned to his radiant little partner.

"It seems to me they cut that dance mighty short," said he. "I wish they
would give us an encore."

"Yes, aren't they stingy?" Lucile agreed, as the frantic applause brought
no response from the bored music