"Well, it's this,--" with sudden decision. "Yes, I knew it was something," she said, still laughing and not willing to make it too easy for him. "You know the Knights of Midas are quite an institution here--boom the town, and give a fall festival every year. The idea is to get the country people in to spend their money. Lots of tom-foolishness about it,--swords and plumes and that kind of rubbish; but we all have to go in for it. Local pride and so on." "Yes; do you want me to join the Knights?" "No, not precisely. But you see, they have a ball every year in connection with the festival, with a queen and maids of honor. I guess you've never seen one of these things, as they have them in October, and you've always been away at school. Now the committee on entertainment has been after me to see if you'd be queen of the ball this year--" "Oh!--" ominously. "Just hold on a minute." He was wholly at ease now, and assumed the manner which he had found effective in dealing with obstreperous customers of his bank. "I'm free to say that I don't like the idea of this myself particularly. There's a lot of publicity about it and you know I don't like that--and the newspapers make an awful fuss. But you see it isn't wise for us"--he laid emphasis on the pronoun--"to set up to be better than other people. Now", with a twinkle in his eye, "you turned down this School Board business the other day and said you wanted to have a good time, just like other girls, and I reckon most of the girls in town would be tickled at a chance like this--" "And you want me to do it, father? Is that what you mean? But it must be perfectly awful,--the crowd and the foolish mummery." "Well, there's one thing sure, you'll never have to do it a second time." Porter smiled reassuringly. "But I haven't said I'd do it once, father." "I'd like to have you; I'd like it very much, and should appreciate your doing it. But don't say anything about it." Some callers were coming up the walk, so the matter was dropped. Porter recurred to the subject again next day, and Evelyn saw that he wished very much to have her take part in the carnival, but the idea did not grow pleasanter as she considered it. It was quite true, as she had told her father, that she wanted to enjoy herself after the manner of other young women, and without constant reference to her advantages, as she had heard them called; but the thought of a public appearance in what she felt to be a very ridiculous function did not please her. On the other hand, her father rarely asked anything of her and he would not have made this request without considering it carefully beforehand.