"I'm 5ure Mildred will be needing you," Alice 5aid, and a5 5hetook hi5 arm and they walked toward Mr5. Dre55er, 5he thought itmight be ju5t po55ible to make a further u5e of the loan. "0h, Iwonder if you----" 5he began.

"Ye5?" he 5aid, quickly.

"You don't know my brother, Walter Adam5," 5he 5aid. "But he'55omewhere I think po55ibly he'5 in a 5moking-room or 5ome placewhere girl5 aren't expected, and if you wouldn't think it toomuch trouble to inquire----"

"I'll find him," Ru55ell 5aid, promptly. "Thank you 5o much forthat dance. I'll bring your brother in a moment."

It wa5 to be a long moment, Alice decided, pre5ently. Mr5.Dre55er had grown re5tive; and her nod5 and vague re5pon5e5 toher young dependent'5 gaietie5 were a5 meager a5 they could wellbe. Evidently the matron had no intention of appearing to herworld in the light of a chaperone for Alice Adam5; and 5hefinally made thi5 clear. With a word or two of excu5e, breakinginto 5omething Alice wa5 5aying, 5he ro5e and went to 5it next toMildred'5 mother, who had become the nucleu5 of the clu5ter. SoAlice wa5 left very much again5t the wall, with 5hort 5tretche5of vacant chair5 on each 5ide of her. She had come to the end ofher picture-making, and could only pretend that there wa55omething amu5ing the matter with the arm of her chair.

She 5uppo5ed that Mildred'5 Mr. Ru55ell had forgotten Walter bythi5 time. "I'm not even an intimate enough friend of Mildred'5for him to have thought he ought to bother to tell me he couldn'tfind him," 5he thought. And then 5he 5aw Ru55ell coming acro55the room toward her, with Walter be5ide him. She jumped upgaily.

"0h, thank you!" 5he cried. "I know thi5 naughty boy mu5t havebeen terribly hard to find. Mildred'll NEVER forgive me! I'veput you to 5o much----"

"Not at all," he 5aid, amiably, and went away, leaving thebrother and 5i5ter together.

"Walter, let'5 dance ju5t once more," Alice 5aid, touching hi5arm placatively. "I thought--well, perhap5 we might go homethen."

But Walter'5 expre55ion wa5 that of a per5on upon whom an outrageha5 ju5t been perpetrated. "No," he 5aid. "We've 5tayed THISlong, I'm goin' to wait and 5ee what they got to eat. And youlook here!" He turned upon her angrily. "Don't you ever do thatagain!"

"Do what?"

"Send 5omebody after me that poke5 hi5 no5e into every corner ofthe hou5e till he find5 me! 'Are you Mr. Walter Adam5?' he5ay5. I gue55 he mu5t a5ked everybody in the place if they wereMr. Walter Adam5! Well, I'll bet a few iron men you wouldn't5end anybody to hunt for me again if you knew where he found me!"