"Joke on us!" she said, hurrying by him toward the door of the house.

"Our car broke down outside the gate." The man remained impassive, though he responded with a faint gleam as Walter, looking back at him, produced for his benefit a cynical distortion of countenance which offered little confirmation of Alice's account of things.

Then the door was swiftly opened to the brother and sister; and they came into a marble-floored hall, where a dozen sleeked young men lounged, smoked cigarettes and fastened their gloves, as they waited for their ladies.

Alice nodded to one or another of these, and went quickly on, her face uplifted and smiling; but Walter detained her at the door to which she hastened.
"Listen here," he said.

"I suppose you want me to dance the first dance with you----" "If you please, Walter," she said, meekly.
"How long you goin' to hang around fixin' up in that dressin'-room ?" "I'll be out before you're ready yourself," she promised him; and kept her word, she was so eager for her good time to begin.