“That’s just it: for that reason he wouldn’t put me on unless he had to. But what’s the use of talking about it? I shall be lucky to get on to the river at all.” That night Louis Tracy appeared at the dinner-table a little late. “Did you get your bid for the Fridays, Ben?” he asked, turning to his cousin as he unfolded his napkin. “I’ve got one.” Ben nodded. “Mine came this afternoon.” “I got mine this morning,” said Cable. “So did I,” announced Roger, who was feeling particularly happy. Talbot’s brother had procured him a good seat for the Yale-Harvard game, and Sumner had got his name put on the list for the dancing class. Dunn looked up inquiringly. “What’s that?” he demanded. “I didn’t get anything.” “Just the Friday dancing class at the Crofton,” said Ben, carelessly. “A good many of the fellows go.” Dunn pondered a few seconds, then blurted out, “How do you get into the thing?” “I was on the list last year,” replied Ben. “So was I,” said Cable, answering a look from Dunn. “My Aunt Mary got me my invitation,” Louis Tracy explained. There was a moment of silence which to some at the table seemed a bit awkward; but Dunn, who was determined to probe the matter to the bottom, pushed boldly on. “How did you work it, Hardie?” “Mine came through Mrs. Sumner. She is one of the patronesses. Jack asked me last week whether I’d like one, and I jumped at the chance.” At this point Mrs. Adams interposed a new topic of conversation, and the tongues were soon flying at the usual rate over a safe course; but Dunn’s voice, commonly the loudest and most insistent, was only heard when a question was put directly to him. He ate his dinner in moody silence, his face darkly clouded. In the middle of dessert he excused himself, leaving the ice-cream half eaten on his plate. “It’s tough on poor Jason to get left out of the Fridays,” said Cable, as the door closed behind him. “What in time did you want to bring it up for?” exclaimed Ben, turning reproachfully on his cousin. “I didn’t think about it,” answered Louis. “Jason had no business butting in, anyway.” “He’d have found out about it sooner or later,” suggested Cable. “We were all as much at fault as Louis.” “Can’t you do something to help him out?” asked Roger. “You might get him an invitation, Ben, I should think.” “Well, I can’t,” Ben answered impatiently. “I don’t run the things, and none of my people do, either.” Later in the evening Dunn came into Ben Tracy’s room and sat down on the bed. “Say, Ben,” he began, “can’t you help me to get an invitation for that dancing class? I don’t care anything about the dancing part of it, but it’s going to be awfully disagreeable to hang round here all winter and be the only fellow left out. I shall be ashamed to live.”