Then it was Marjorie's turn to feel sorry for Kitty, because she was too young to go to evening parties. But Mr. and Mrs. Maynard had promised some special fun to Kitty at home, and she watched Midget's preparations with interest quite untinged by envy. Kingdon and Marjorie were to go alone at seven o'clock, and Mr. Maynard was to come after them at nine. "But Gladys said, Mother," said Midge, "that she hoped we'd stay later than nine." "I hope you won't," said Mrs. Maynard. "You're really too young to go out at night anyway, but as it's just across the street, I trust you'll get there safely. But you must come home as soon as Father comes for you." "Yes, if he makes us," said Marjorie, smiling at her lenient father, who was greatly inclined to indulge his children. "If you're not back as soon as I think you ought to be, I shall telephone for you," said Mrs. Maynard; but Marjorie knew from her mother's smiling eyes that she was not deeply in earnest. Midget had on a very pretty dress of thin white muslin, with ruffles of embroidery. She wore a broad pink sash, and her dark curls were clustered into a big pink bow, which bobbed and danced on top of her head. Pink silk stockings and dainty pink slippers completed her costume, and her father declared she looked good enough to eat. "Eat her up," said Rosy Posy, who was ecstatically gazing at her beautiful big sister. "Be a hippottymus, Fader, an' eat Mopsy all up!" "Not till after she's been to the party, Baby. They'll all be expecting her." Kingdon, quite resplendent in the glory of his first Tuxedo jacket, also looked admiringly at his pretty sister. "You'll do, Mops," he said. "Come on, let's go. It's just seven." Mrs. Maynard put a lovely white, hooded cape of her own round Marjorie, and carefully drew the hood up over her curls. "See that your bow is perked up after you take this off," said the mother, as a parting injunction, and then the two children started off. The parents watched them from the window, as they crossed the street in the moonlight, and Mrs. Maynard sighed as she said, "They're already beginning to grow up." "But we have some littler ones," said her husband, gaily, as he prepared for a game of romps with Kitty and Rosy Posy. When King and Marjorie rang the bell at Gladys Fulton's, the door opened very slowly, and they could hear a low, sepulchral groan. Midge clung to her brother's arm, for though she knew everything was to be as weird and grotesque as possible, yet it was delightful to feel the shudder of surprise. As the door opened further, they could see that the house was but dimly lighted, and the hall was full of a deep red glow. This was caused by putting red shades on the lights and standing a semi-transparent red screen before the blazing wood-fire in the big fireplace.