Halls and parlors were full of laughing boys and girls. Their years, perhaps, might entitle them or some of them to be called young men and women, but this generation does not marry off its girls at sixteen or seventeen and its boys at scarcely more than twenty. The military school trained youths from about fifteen to twenty, many of them from families who liked to have their sons in military training for a few years. The ages, then, correspond well with those of the Greycliff girls, and it was not hard to arrange partners for dinner. This had been largely done beforehand by a committee of girls and teachers, a few changes having been made as the personnel of the assembled company was noted, or as personal requests came in. Under or in the midst of palms and other plants not far from the entrance, was a little table where sat Patricia West, Dr. Norris, and one or two others of the younger teachers. There the cadets or officers gave their names or cards and were handed cards which contained the names of their dinner partners.

“You can’t just go in, pick out the prettiest girl and ask her to go to dinner with you, then?” asked one young officer who knew Dr. Norris.

“Not this time,” replied Dr. Norris, “but keep your eye on her and get her to go skating with you this evening; or get with the group at her table.”

“O, you couldn’t do that, you know,” cried Patty, “because we will have place cards fixed from these duplicates, as soon as everybody is here.”

“All right, Doc, how do I pick her out?”

Dr. Norris beckoned to one of several girls who stood near, and who were trying hard not to laugh at this conversation. “Miss Mills will find the lady for you, Lieutenant Maxwell.”

“‘The lady or the tiger,’” murmured this irrepressible youth to Dr. Norris, then acknowledged his introduction to Miss Mills and gallantly escorted her through the throng in the hall. “Do you happen to know whether the fair lady is one of the girls or—ah—a teacher?” the young lieutenant asked Jane as she stopped to look and locate the damsel.

“You will think that you are lucky,” said Jane; “I don’t believe that you could have chosen a more attractive partner yourself,” and she led him to Cathalina, who stood near one of the windows talking to Betty.

Lieutenant Maxwell received an impression of a lovely face, a filmy frock and a courteous smile as he was introduced first to Cathalina and then by her to the other girls, Betty, Helen, Eloise and Pauline, who happened to be close by. But he offered Cathalina his arm to take her over to a group of young officers who had promised to “stand by” each other and gather with their dinner partners in a little group.

Betty was having two requests for her company, at the table in the hall. Fortunately for her, the most agreeable one came first, indeed had been arranged for, as well.

“I think it would be nice if we put the two who won the honors together, don’t you?” Patricia had asked, thinking what a pleasant companion for Betty it would provide. The others agreeing, she wrote Betty’s name on the card for Donald Hilton, who happened to come along after Lieutenant Maxwell.

“May I ask for somebody?” said Donald at once.

“You may, though I think that you will be pleased with what we have arranged,” replied Patricia.

“I would like very much to meet the young lady who won honors in skating, Miss Betty—”

“She is the one we have for you,” and Patty handed out the card to the pleased lad.

“I know her,” said Corporal Hilton. “I mean I know which she is, but I would be glad to have some one introduce us.”

“We arrange for that,” replied Dr. Norris, introducing one of the attendant girls again, just as Captain Holley appeared with a request for “Miss Barnes,” delivered in rather a haughty manner. Donald overheard him, but did not change countenance as he hurried away with his pretty escort.

So it happened that Donald’s first remark to Betty, as after the introduction he led her to a more or less secluded seat in the hall, in one of the recesses, was rather personal. “I came just in time,” said he, “for I heard another man asking for you right after I had received the card with your name.”

Betty smiled and said, “I didn’t know that any of the boys knew me.”

“It wasn’t any of the boys, it was an instructor.”

“O,” said Betty, “how glad I am that you—” then she caught herself before she could go any farther.

“I take it, then, that he is not any too popular with you?” Donald’s air was that of earnestly wanting to know about it, which surprised Betty, but pleased her.

“O, no!” she replied, “not if it is the one I think it is.”

“It was Captain Holley.”

“Yes, I thought it must be, for he is the only one I have met, but I do not know him well at all, and am surprised that he should ask for me. Probably he does not know any of the other girls and thought that I would do.” Betty was laughing.

“That must have been it,” said Donald, with sarcasm in his tone. “Say, I was watching you skate this afternoon and want to congratulate you on the well deserved honor you received.”

“I must return the compliment, then. But you are a real skater. I never saw anybody do the things you did in the contest except a professional skater.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” and Donald wanted to add, “I was doing it for you,” but did not at this stage of acquaintance.

“You are Dorothy Appleton’s cousin, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and Jack’s, of course.”

“O, do you call John Appleton Jack?”

“Most of the boys do. Come, I must let some of the rest of them meet you, but may I have the first skate with you after dinner, and take you down to the river and bring you back?”

“Certainly. It will be wonderful to skate with such a skater as you are.”

Dinner, which had been planned for an earlier time than usual was served later than usual, merely because it was hard to manage the arranging of couples and seating. But at last the gong rang and the gay company gathered about the prettily decorated tables. Place cards were in the form of skates, and a few of the older girls excused themselves temporarily from their escorts, in order to help all find their seats, and relieve the confusion or prevent it. Miss Randolph, in her most elegant gown, led the way to the dining room with the commandant of the school, who was a fine figure in his uniform. “Probably it would have been better,” she was saying, “had we planned the afternoon contests a little earlier. It still grows dark so early. But we can give them a little more time tonight if it does make it later. The dinner must not be hurried,” of which statement the commandant thoroughly approved.

Cathalina was at a table where sat the young instructors of the military school with their companions, but Betty was at the same table with John Appleton and Hilary, Harry Mills and Lilian, Eloise with a tall, over-grown, handsome young “top-sergeant,” and Dorothy with a rollicking soldier boy who kept the table in mirth with his stories of school affairs.

“How I do adore uniforms!” whispered Eloise to Betty, as she passed her in finding their places. Betty smiled and nodded, as if to say, “So do I.”

“There are no old toasts and speeches this time,” said Dorothy to her brother.

“No time wasted, then,” replied John.

“I imagine that Miss Randolph will make a ‘few brief’ remarks,” said Hilary, “to give direction about the rest of the evening.”

“Yes, and the dear old boy will have to respond with thanks for the pleasures enjoyed,” said Harry irreverently.

“Don’t they look fine, though?” said Lilian. “We ought to be proud of them.”

“We are,” replied Harry. “There aren’t many heads of a military school—as strict as discipline has to be—that are liked as well. The boys all respect him.”

“Well, you know, John,” said Dorothy, “what the best girls think of Miss Randolph.”

By the time the dinner was over, Donald knew where Betty lived, all about her family, what studies she was taking and what she thought on various subjects interesting to young people. In turn he gave her bits of information about his own life and incidentally his character. The Hiltons lived in Chicago and Donald was the oldest of three children, the other two girls.

Hilary was right about the announcements. Miss Randolph rose at the close of the meal, greeted the guests in a few cordial words and announced that the bell would ring at the time to stop skating upon the river. “I think that you will have no difficulty in hearing it, but if we have any doubt a gong will sound at the river.”

Then the officer in charge, as Harry had prophesied, thanked the principal, teachers and young ladies of Greycliff for their entertainment and courtesy, and directed his students where and when to meet for the trip home.

“I’ll be in the hall or parlor waiting for you,” said Donald, as if he were afraid some one else would carry Betty off.

The girls rushed upstairs to change back to skating outfits, while the boys ran across to the gymnasium for their extra equipment. The girls were full of fun and further anticipations, but had little time to talk about it.

“Wasn’t the dinner good?” asked Lilian. “I was so glad that the boys had lots to eat! They say that their meals aren’t as good as ours, but then this was extra even for us. How did you like John Appleton, Hilary?”

“He’s a fine young man,” replied Hilary, “looks so much like Dorothy and has some of her ways, too. I like him ever so much.”

“Don’t like him better than Campbell, Hilary,” called Cathalina, to Hilary’s amusement.

“Did you have a good time, Cathalina?” Hilary called back.

“O, yes, though our crowd was older. Lieutenant Maxwell is real joy and very polite, too. He asked to take me down to the river and skate first with me.”

“So did Donald,” said Betty. “I guess all of them would do that.”

“How old do you think Donald Hilton is?” asked Cathalina.

“He told me, when he was telling about his sisters and how old they were, or rather how much older he is than they are. He is not quite nineteen.”

It did not take as long to get ready for the skating as it had to dress up in all their glory for dinner. Betty slipped down the stairs, looked carefully around to be sure to avoid Captain Holley, and brightened when she saw Donald Hilton waiting not far from the stairway. He, too, was running no chances! Out they hurried, Betty’s skates over Donald’s arm. They were among the first to arrive at the river, where a line of great bonfires lit up the place, and Mickey was in charge. Certain limits were placed, beyond which the skaters were supposed not to go, but there was distance enough for a long skate between the banks of the beautiful, ice-clad river, on into the misty white curves over-hung with pine tree branches. A guardian moon was coming up now, and looked through a few drifting clouds.

“Be sure to tell me if you are cold,” said Donald, looking down at Betty, as they skated forward, “and I’ll take your over to a bonfire in a jiffy.” Donald was used to looking after his younger sisters, but that fact did not quite account for a certain tenderness in his attitude, which Betty felt, but could not understand.

“Before I take you back and anybody takes you away from me, I want to tell you something,” said Donald, “and I want you to promise not to be offended till I’ve had a chance to explain,—will you?”

“Why,—no,” replied Betty, wondering, but ready to promise almost anything within reason, for with sure strokes they were gliding along so happily and there was such exhilaration in skating with Donald that Betty felt quite uplifted and as if she were living in a sort of fairyland.

Donald said nothing for a minute, but then took her around a curve where the moonlight shone full upon them. “Let’s stop here a minute,” he suggested. “I’ve something to show you.” Out of his pocket he took a small object and laid it in her gloved hand. “Is this yours?” he asked.

“Oh!” exclaimed Betty. It was the pansy ornament which had been on her sleeve. “Yes, it is,—I hate to think—”

“Please don’t think that I took it on purpose,” said Donald hastily. “I found it hanging to one of the buttons on my sleeve.”

“O, did anybody else see it?”

“No, indeed. Never from that day to this!”

“Why did you do it?” asked Betty, who felt that perhaps her evening was spoiled.

“Look over your shoulders, you mean? That is what I want to explain. I was over there with Holley and two or three of the boys. We had some idea of calling on the girls, but when we found that Dorothy and you younger girls were having a Hallow-e’en celebration, we gave it up, and old John and I strolled around the grounds awhile. Finally John went inside to see if Holley was ready to go, and I noticed the lights around where Dorothy tells me your society hall is, and strolled around there. Just as I was almost at the door, but back in the shadow of that tree close by, the door opened and you came out. You haven’t any idea of what a picture you made with the candle in you hand, so I just naturally stopped to look. Then you turned around to look back down the steps and held up the mirror,—”

“O, don’t!” cried Betty. “I’m so ashamed of it!”

“‘Ashamed of it!’” exclaimed Donald. “Why, girls always try all sorts of things on Hallow-e’en, don’t they?”

“O, yes, but I didn’t dream that anybody’d be there, and of course I don’t believe in that silly old superstition!”

“No, I never supposed you did, but I couldn’t resist stepping up any more than if I’d been hypnotized. I don’t know but I was! But you haven’t any idea of how much I have been thinking of you, and wanting to apologize, and wanting to meet you. I was pretty sure that it was you when I first saw you this afternoon, and after watching you closely while you were skating so near me, I knew it was the pansy girl.” Donald almost said “my” pansy girl, but bethought himself in time. “Now do you think you can forgive me?”

“O, yes,” said the generous Betty. “I, too, have been wondering who it was, and I was so terribly afraid it was Captain Holley, for I heard that he was over that night. I’m really thankful that it was you and that you do not think me too silly.”

“I never thought for a minute that you were ‘silly,’” declared Donald. “But why did you think it might be Captain Holley?”

“Because I’ve had the oddest experiences. I believe I’ll tell you about it. Do you boys think that he is all right?”

“We don’t know what to think about him.”

“Well, neither do I, and I can’t imagine what he was doing at the cave. But if I tell you, you must promise not to tell. It would be too bad to make trouble for him when perhaps he is all right.”

Donald was all attention, though not inclined to be very easy on Captain Holley, for did he not have an eye tonight on the little pansy lady whom Donald already was beginning to consider his “girl.” They were skating again, and Donald tightened his hold on Betty, as she told him of the first time she met the brother of Louise and how it happened that she was there. “You can see why I thought it might be he again,” she said, “and I didn’t have anything but a blurred image of you in the glass.”

“Well, we boys will look out for you,” declared Donald when Betty had finished her story of the cave incidents. “When we skate back, I’ll see that Holley does not skate with you. They are probably fussing at me now, because I’m keeping the prize skater all to myself. It’s funny about Holley. Some of the boys are much attracted to him. He is real popular with a certain set, and makes himself generally agreeable. Then there are others of us that do not like him.”

Fortunately it did not happen that Captain Holley sought out Betty. She had a happy evening skating with one and another of Donald’s friends, closing it with another exhilarating turn with that young man himself. The other girls were as busily engaged as herself till the bell rang and the cadets and officers escorted the maids of Greycliff back to the Hall.