I have no recollection whatever of going down the staircase and into the ballroom.  Although I am considered rather brave, and once saved one of the smaller girls from drowning, as I need not remind the school, when she was skating on thin ice, I was frightened.  I remember that, inside the door, Jane said “Courage!” in a low tence voice, and that I stepped on somebody’s foot and said “Certainly” instead of apologizing.  The shock of that brought me around somewhat, and I managed to find Mrs. Adams and Elaine, and not disgrace myself.  Then somebody at my elbow said: 

“All right, Barbara.  Everything’s fixed.”

It was Carter.

“He’s waiting in the corner over there,” he said.  “We’d better go through the formalaty of an introduction.  He’s positively twittering with excitement.”

“Carter” I said desparately.  “I want to tell you somthing first.  I’ve got myself in an awful mess.  I——­”

“Sure you have,” he said.  “That’s why I’m here, to help you out.  Now you be calm, and there’s no reason why you two can’t have the evening of your young lives.  I wish I could fall in Love.  It must be bully.”

“Carter——!”

“Got his note, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I——­”

“Here we are,” said Carter.  “Miss Archibald, I would like to present Mr. Grosvenor.”

Somebody bowed in front of me, and then straightened up and looked down at me.  It was the man of the picture, little mustache and all.  My mouth went perfectly dry.

It is all very well to talk about Romance and Love, and all that sort of thing.  But I have concluded that amorus experiences are not always agreeable.  And I have discovered something else.  The moment anybody is crazy about me I begin to hate him.  It is curious, but I am like that.  I only care as long as they, or he, is far away.  And the moment I touched H’s white kid glove, I knew I loathed him.

“Now go to it, you to,” Carter said in cautious tone.  “Don’t be conspicuous.  That’s all.”

And he left us.

“Suppose we dance this.  Shall we?” said H. And the next moment we were gliding off.  He danced very well.  I will say that.  But at the time I was too much occupied with hateing him to care about dancing, or anything.  But I was compelled by my pride to see things through.  We are a very proud Familey and never show our troubles, though our hearts be torn with anguish.

“Think,” he said, when we had got away from the band, “think of our being together like this!”

“It’s not so surprizing, is it?  We’ve got to be together if we are dancing.”

“Not that.  Do you know, I never knew so long a day as this has been.  The thought of meeting you—­er—­again, and all that.”

“You needn’t rave for my benefit,” I said freesingly.  “You know perfectly well that you never saw me before.”