“Well, Polly”—­it was Mr. Alstyne who spoke, and he acted as if he had come to stay by her side—­“you’ve covered yourself with glory this evening.”

“Have I, sir?” asked Polly absently, wishing there had been less of the glory, and a little more fun.

“Yes, indeed,” said Mr. Alstyne, his keen eyes searching her face.  “Well, now, Polly, your dragons, although not exactly like any living ones extant, made me think of some I saw at the Zoo, in London.  Do you want me to tell you how?”

“Oh! if you please,” cried Polly, her color coming back, and beginning to forget the dance and the dancers.

“Let us sit down here, then,” said Mr. Alstyne, drawing her off to two chairs in a corner, “and you shall have the tale.  No pun, Polly, you know.”  And he plunged into it at once.

“Yes, Alstyne has her all right,” Mr. King was saying at the further end of the drawing-room to Mrs. Pepper; he spied the whole thing; “he’ll take care of her, you may depend.”

And two more people had seen; one was Jasper.  Nevertheless his partner, Alexia Rhys, thought it necessary to enlighten him.

“Just think, Polly’s given up her chance with the best dancer in the room, and sent Pickering Dodge off with that horrid Ray Simmons.”

Jasper pretended not to hear.  “This is our figure,” he said hastily, and they whirled off, finished it, and were back again.

“Isn’t she a goose?” as he fanned her, and tried to introduce another subject.

“I suppose she best pleases herself,” said the boy indifferently.  “Why should any one else interfere in the matter?”

“But some one else ought to interfere,” cried Alexia, with a little pout, provoked at his indifference; “that’s just the way she does in school all the time.  Oh!  I’m vexed at her, I can tell you.  She’s so silly—­dear me, it’s our turn again,”

By the next interim she had forgotten all about Polly and whether she was having a nice time or the stupidest one imaginable, for Joel, who held dancing in great contempt, sauntered up.

“Aren’t you glad now that you didn’t find out about the secret?” cried Alexia radiantly.  “Oh! you are such a nuisance, Joey,” she added frankly.

“Phooh!” exclaimed Joel, “it wasn’t worth finding out, that old secret.  But it’s as good as girls ever get up,” he finished with a supercilious air.

“It was a perfectly splendid play!” cried Alexia, “and much too good for a lot of boys.  Goodness, Joey, I wouldn’t celebrate if you four were coming home from school to our house.  I’d have the jollification the night before you went back.”

“I wouldn’t go home if ’twas to your house,” declared Joel with equal candor.  “I’d run off to sea, first.”

“Come, come, you two, stop sparring,” cried Jasper, holding out his hand; “its our turn again, Alexia.  Joel, take yourself off.”

Alexia flashing Joel a bright, making-up smile, dashed off into the figure.