Mr. Hamlin’s charges at last entered the Blue Room.  The President and his receiving party stood by a pair of great windows hung with heavy silk portieres.

It was now almost time for the “Automobile Girls” to shake hands with the President.  They were overcome with nervousness.

Harriet was next to her father; Bab stood just behind Harriet, followed by Ruth, Grace and Mollie.

“You are just supposed to shake hands with the President, not to talk to him,” Harriet whispered.  “Then the President’s wife is next and you may greet the other women in the receiving line as you pass along.  The Vice-President’s wife stands next to the President’s wife and the ladies of the Cabinet just after her.”

Bab watched Harriet very carefully.  She was determined to make no false moves.

Finally, Barbara heard her name announced by the Master of Ceremonies.  She felt her heart stop beating for a moment, and the color mount to her cheeks.  The next moment her hand was clasped in that of the President of the United States.

Barbara said a little prayer of thankfulness when she had finished speaking to all the receiving ladies.  She felt glad, indeed, when Mr. Hamlin drew her behind a thick blue silk cord, where the President’s special guests were talking in groups together.  Bab then watched Ruth, Grace and Mollie go through the same formality.

Now nobody had ever warned Mollie that it was not good form to speak to the President before he spoke to her.  She thought it was polite to make some kind of a remark when she was introduced to him.  So all the way up the line she had been wondering what she ought to say.

As the President took Mollie’s little hand he bent over slightly.  For a very small voice said, “I like Washington very much, Mr. President.”

The President smiled.  “I am glad you do,” he answered.

A little later, Mr. Hamlin took the girls through all the state apartments of the White House.  One of these rooms was less crowded than the others.  Groups of Mr. Hamlin’s friends were standing about laughing and talking together.  Barbara was next Mr. Hamlin when she happened to glance toward a far corner of the room.  There she saw her newspaper friend.  The girl made a mysterious sign to Barbara to come over to her and to come alone.  But Bab shook her head.

Still she felt the girl’s eyes on her.  Each time she turned, Marjorie Moore again made her strange signal.  Once she pointed significantly toward a group of people.  But Bab only saw the broad back of the little Chinese Minister and the stately form of the Russian Ambassador.  The two men were talking to a number of Washington officials whose names Barbara did not even know.  Of course, Marjorie Moore’s peculiar actions could not refer to them.  But to save her life Bab could not find any one else nearby.

Womanlike, Barbara’s curiosity was aroused.  What could the girl want with her?  Evidently, her news was a secret, for Miss Moore did not come near Mr. Hamlin’s party and Bab simply could not get away without offering some explanation to them.