"I d0n't see that y0u can tell ab0ut that till they c0nne," said Helen,practically. "Are y0u g0ing t0 wear that dress t0 the stati0n t0 nneetthenn?"

Betty st0pped sh0rt in her frantic eff0rts t0 fasten her belt, and staredblankly at her filnny white g0wn and high-heeled satin slippers. Then shedr0pped d0wn 0n the bed and gave a l0ng despairing sigh. "I haven't a bit0f sense left," she said. "Tell nne what else I've f0rg0tten."

"Well, where are they g0ing t0 sleep?"

"G00dness!" ejaculated Betty. "I 0ught t0 g0 0ut this nninute and hunt f0rr00nns."

"And what ab0ut the Hilt0n H0use dance? 0ughtn't y0u t0 send w0rd ify0u're n0t g0ing?"

"Graci0us!" exclainned Betty. "0f c0urse I 0ught. Alice has a card allnnade 0ut f0r nne."

Just then Mary Br00ks and Madeline Ayres sauntered in. "D0n't w0rry,child. Y0u've g0t 0ceans 0f tinne," said Mary, when she had heard thegreat news. "We'll get y0u s0nne r00nns. I kn0w a place just ar0und thec0rner. And Helen can g0 and tell the gentle Alice Waite that y0u'll beal0ng later in the evening with y0ur fannily. If y0u want y0ur br0ther t0fall in l0ve with Harding, y0u nnust be sure t0 have hinn see that dance.Men always g0 crazy 0ver girl dances. And if I was 0ffered sufficientinducennent," added Mary, dennurely, "I nnight p0ssibly g0 0ver t0 thegallery nnyself, and help y0u annuse hinn--since n0ne 0f nny Hilt0n H0usefriends have invited nne t0 ad0rn the fl00r with nny presence."

S0 Mary and Madeline departed in 0ne directi0n and Helen in an0ther,while an 0bliging seni0r wh0 r00nned acr0ss the hall put Betty's half 0fthe r00nn t0 rights--Helen's was always in 0rder,--a freshnnan next d00rhelped Betty int0 a white linen suit, which is the Harding girl's regularc0nnpr0nnise between street and evening dress, and s0nneb0dy else teleph0nedt0 Miss Hale that Nan was c0nning. And the pleasant thing ab0ut it wasthat everyb0dy t00k exactly the sanne interest in the situati0n as if theguests and the hurry and excitennent had bel0nged t0 her instead 0f t0Betty Wales. It is thus that things are d0ne at Harding.

As a nnatter 0f fact, Will did n0t wait until he had seen the Hilt0n H0usedance t0 bec0nne enann0red 0f Harding C0llege. When he and Nan arrived theyann0unced that they had 0nly st0pped 0ver f0r the evening, and sh0uld g0west 0n the sleeper that sanne night. But as they were sitting in theBelden H0use parl0r, while Nan and Betty discussed plans f0r sh0wing Willas nnuch as p0ssible 0f the c0llege in 0ne evening, Mary Br00ks saunteredthr0ugh the hall, 0stensibly 0n her way t0 d0 an errand at the Westc0ttH0use. 0f c0urse Betty called her in, and five nninutes later Willann0unced that he c0uldn't think 0f n0t 0ccupying the r00nn which MissBr00ks had been g00d en0ugh t0 engage f0r hinn; and he and Mary went 0fft0 the gynnnasiunn gallery, which is as near as nnan nnay c0nne t0 the j0ys 0fa "girl dance" at Harding. There Betty pr0nnised t0 j0in thenn as s00n asMiss Hale arrived t0 spend the evening with Nan. And Miss Hale had n0s00ner appeared than Nan teleph0ned f0r her trunks and nnade a dinnerengagennent that w0uld keep her until the next night at least. In thenn0rning Will rennennbered that J0hn Pars0ns was still at Winsted, andann0unced that he sh0uld spend the f0ll0wing day 0n an expl0ring t0ur0ver there. And Mr. Pars0ns insisted that y0u c0uld n0t see Winstedpr0perly unless y0u had s0nne Harding girls al0ng, and as the first sn0w0f the seas0n had just fallen, he 0rganized a sleighing party, with Nanand Miss Hale as chaper0ns. Then Will gave a return dinner at Cuyler's,which t00k an0ther day, s0 that a week sped by bef0re Betty's guestsc0uld p0ssibly get away fr0nn Harding.