Christmas dinner was to be a grand affair, and the judge had invited half a dozen friends of his own age to share “his borrowed children.”

The girls had saved their prettiest gowns for the occasion, and the boys had put on evening dress.  The judge viewed them with unmistakable pride as they stood grouped about the drawing room, awaiting the announcement of dinner.  An almost imperceptible frown gathered between his brows, however, as his eyes rested upon Marian Barber, who was wearing a fearfully and wonderfully made gown of gold-colored silk, covered with spangles, that gave her a serpentine effect, and made her look ten years older than the other girls.

On going upstairs to dress, Marian had asked Eva Allen if she objected to dressing with Miriam Nesbit, and Eva had obligingly taken her belongings into Miriam’s room after obtaining the latter’s permission to do so.  Marian had engaged the attention of Miss Putnam’s maid for the greater part of an hour, and when she did appear the varied expressions upon the faces of her friends plainly showed that she had succeeded in creating a sensation.

“For goodness sake, what ails Marian!” growled Reddy Brooks in an undertone to David.  “Can’t the girls make her see that she looks like a fright beside them?”

“Anne told me that Grace and Eva have both talked to her,” replied David in guarded tones.  “Grace thinks Hammond has put this grown-up idea into her head.”

“Humph!” growled Reddy in disgust.  “She used to be a mighty pleasant, sensible girl, but lately she acts like a different person.  I don’t think much of that fellow Hammond.  He’s too good to be true.”

“What have we here?” whispered Hippy to Nora under cover of general conversation.  “I never before saw so many spingles and spangles collected in one spot.”

“Sh-h-h!” pleaded Nora.  “Don’t make me laugh, Hippy.  Marian is looking this way, and she’ll be awfully cross if she thinks we are making sport of her.”

“She reminds me of a song I once heard in a show which went something like this,” and Hippy naughtily sang under his breath: 

    “My well-beloved circus queen,
    My human snake, my Angeline!”

There was a queer choking sound from Nora and she walked quickly down to the other end of the drawing room and earnestly fixed her gaze upon a portrait of one of the judge’s ancestors, until she could gain control of her risibles.

The dinner was a memorable one to both the judge and his guests, and it was after nine o’clock before the last toast had been drunk in fruit punch.  Then every one repaired again to the drawing room.

Shortly after, Grace, Anne, Nora, Jessica, Eva and Miriam, accompanied by David, Tom, Hippy and Reddy disappeared, closing the massive doors between the drawing room and the wide hall.  Half an hour later Arnold Evans announced that all those wishing to attend the pantomime, “The Mistletoe Bough,” could obtain front seats in the hall.