"It wouldn't do a bit of good," said a young doctor. "I tried and she turned me down--said she had promised the old duffer the whole dance." So it happened that Judith's time was fully taken up by her fairy godfathers until the supper-time intermission. CHAPTER XV Cinderella Revealed The rattle of china and silver had begun in a room beyond the dancing hall and an aroma of coffee and a suggestion of savory food was in the air. Dancers and spectators sniffed in anticipation. The music stopped. Judge Middleton walked towards the end of the hall. He had Judith Buck by his side, her hand resting lightly on his arm. She was chatting gaily, but the Judge looked rather serious. When the couple reached a spot near the bass drum, the Judge stopped and, borrowing the stick from the musician, he rapped sharply on the side of the drum. "He's going to make a speech!" "Be quiet!" "Judge Middleton is going to talk!" The other nine old men called for order. Another sharp rap on the drum and all was still. "Friends," the Judge said, "I have something to say to you." One could have heard a pin drop. "Of course all of us old men know that you have had a very good time, laughing at us because we sent out invitations calling this a debut party. We are pleased to have given so many of our friends a good laugh. We did it on purpose, because we have all of us lived a long time and we know how popular it makes you to furnish a good laugh. We are proud and happy that so many persons have seen fit to come to our party and we hope you are having a pleasant time to repay you for your trouble." "Hear! Hear!" "The best this year!" "Do it again!" "I wonder if any of you noticed that our invitation did not say to whom we were giving this debut party? We left that out on purpose, because we were afraid it might scare off the person whom we are delighted to honor. Up to this moment the dear child whose debut party this is has been entirely ignorant that it is hers." Judith, who had been standing by her old friend, utterly unconscious of self, wholly absorbed in his speech, now looked at him with an expression of startled amazement. She gave a little gasp and blushed violently. "Friends of Ryeville and our county, we, the old men of the neighborhood, wish to tell you that this debut ball is in honor of our fairy godchild, Miss Judith Buck." A ripple of applause ran around the room. "We know that we are not doing the conventional thing in the conventional way," the Judge continued, "but we wanted to do something different for a girl who is different. Only a few days ago we were sitting, talking, discussing matters and things, when the thought came to us that we should like to do something for a girl who has never been too busy to stop and have a pleasant word with us old men. It was my friend, Pete Barnes, who thought of this way." "Yes, my idee, my idee!" cried Pete.