"What is the matter with you children!" Auntie Mogs asked. "You are so quiet." "Nothing at all," they both answered together. Tom came in and looked around hurriedly. "Nobody here yet! Then I'm going to have a cooky, a piece of cake and some candy. Janet, dear little sister of mine, give me one of those biscuits, or two if you insist." The white dress offered him the plate and two brown eyes looked at him hard as he helped himself. But he filled his pockets unconcernedly and turned toward the table. "Phyllis, other little sister of mine, have you a flower for my button hole! I'm not going to be at your party, but I want to look festive none the less." The blue dress stood very close to him as the flower was carefully poked into place. "You are both very quiet this afternoon, it seems to me," he observed critically, looking from one to the other. "What's the matter?" The girls began to laugh, and they kept it up until they had to lean on each other for support. "Well, evidently something is very wrong indeed, but I didn't mean to remind you of it. Are you going to do this often during the afternoon?" Only suppressed gurgles answered him, and he marched off to his own room in disgust. It was not long before the guests began to arrive. Miss Carter met them at the door, and the girls both shook hands with each one and then went off for tea or cake, and each time the guest said, "Thank you, Janet," to the white dress, and "That's very sweet of you," to the blue one. And every now and then both girls would disappear into the hall, laugh silently and return to their posts. The Blakes were among the first arrivals, and Mrs. Todd was with them. Mildred and Alice were a little surprised that the wearer of the white dress came up to them and said "hello!" in the friendliest way. "Will you have a cup of tea and a biscuit? You ought to be hungry after that long walk, or did you drive over? Oh, but of course you didn't; I forgot you were tired of driving." The white dress fluttered away to return a minute later with tea. "Here you are; can you manage all the plates?" "Why, of course," Mildred replied. "How nice it must be for you to have your sister here," she said, smiling. "Oh, it is rather nice." "Rather nice!" Alice exclaimed. "I should think it would be a perfect blessing." "Now, why a blessing?" "Why--why because it is some one for you to be with." Alice was amazed. "You must have been awfully lonely before she came?" "Lonely--I? How silly!" "Well, but you never went with any of the girls except us now and again, and naturally every one thought you must be lonely. Alice isn't the only one who thought so," Mildred said vehemently.