Beth caught the slight emphasis that Aunt Alida put on the last three words, and hoped that Alys would not notice it. Uncle Jim beamed on them, all three; it seemed to Beth that Uncle Jim cared more for the frolic than for his elder daughter’s beauty. “There’s Dirk!” cried Beth. There _was_ Dirk in doublet, boots and a sword. “What are you?” asked Beth eagerly. “I’m a fool to let ’em get me such togs,” growled Dirk. “Mama says I’m Miles Standish. Search me! I don’t know what I look like! Say, though, Beth, the sword’s decent, ain’t it?” “You look fine, Dirk,” cried Beth, and Dirk could not detect mockery in her honest eyes. No one could hear what they said so the boy unbent a little to her sweetness. “You’re a peach,” he said earnestly. “You look like one of the kids they take out in the mall, in that long dress and baby cap. But you’re out of sight, all right. I guess I’ll dance with you, ’cause I’ve got to dance with somebody and you’re the best there is.” “Yes; I’d rather dance with you,” agreed Beth “When are they coming?” “Who? The rest of the show? Some of ’em are here now, getting their things off, and----” “Oh, there’s the music!” cried Beth, as the small orchestra of strings began to play in the music room. “Sure. They’ll put ’em in the ballroom when the time comes,” said Dirk, wondering to see the rapture in Beth’s eyes. After that Beth hardly knew what happened. She floated on the lovely music through an enchanted region, into which there began to come quaint and beautiful figures, some of them tall and nearly grown up, like Natalie, some of them midway, like Alys, some of them small like herself; figures in strange, picture garments that made them seem unreal, even when they were introduced to her by her cousins and she found herself dancing with them. Because it was a dream and she was not really Beth Bristead! Beth was not shy and afraid as she had expected to be. She danced down and around the great ballroom, carried along by that fairy music, so happy that there was no room for fear. Never had she heard such music, trod such a slippery floor, reflecting hundreds of lights, making the space under her feet as brilliant as the high ceiling. She could not be afraid of the children whom she met in fairy-land! So Beth smiled blissfully at them all and answered happily when they spoke to her, feeling as if these strangers in old-time costume were all old friends. She had no idea of how proudly, with what pleasure her aunt and uncle watched her, nor that Natalie and Alys had to acknowledge many kind speeches made by the older girls about their pretty little cousin. She did not know that Dirk’s gloom was increasing; she hardly knew that she was happy, because she was so full of happiness that there was not room left for knowing it. A blissful little Beth, she danced through an evening of hours which she had never before sat up to see, floating through fairy-land on the wings of fairy music.