"Oh, I love it! It's the breath of life to me," said Amelie rapturously. The twins again exchanged solemn looks and sat down to their tea in silence. Mrs. Baldwin attacked them peevishly at intervals; she was cross at Enid also, who had not kept Harry to supper, and preserved an indifferent silence under questioning. "When I was your age--!" was the burden of her speech. "I must give a dance for you young people," she decided. "You need livening up." "Oh, lovely!" exclaimed Amelie. "We have not had one this winter--I don't know what I have been thinking about," Mrs. Baldwin went on with returning cheerfulness. "We won't ask more than a hundred. You must have a new frock, Amelie. Enid, how is your blue one?" "Oh, all right," said Enid indifferently. Mrs. Baldwin turned to the twins, and found them looking frankly dismayed. "Well, what is it now?" she exclaimed. "I am sure I try to give you as good times as any girls in town; not many mothers on my income would do half so much. And you sit looking as if you were going to execution!" "We--we do appreciate it, mother," urged Cora, unhappily. "But we aren't howling successes at parties," Dora added. "Nonsense! You have partners to spare." Mrs. Baldwin was plainly angry. "No child of mine was ever a wallflower, nor ever will be. Never let me hear you say such a thing again. You would have twice the attention if you weren't always poking off by yourselves; and as it is, you have more than most girls. You frighten the men--they think you are proud. Show a little interest in them and see how pleased they will be!" The twins looked dubious, and seized the first chance to escape. In their own room they confronted each other dismally. "Of course they will ask us, in our own house; we won't have to sit and sit," said Cora with a sigh. "But it's almost worse when they ask you for that reason," objected Dora. "I know! I feel so sorry for them, and so apologetic. If mother would _only_ let us go and teach at Miss Browne's; then we could show we were really good for something. We shouldn't have to shine at parties." "We shouldn't have to go to them! Come on, let's do some Latin. I want to forget the hateful thing." Cora got down the books and drew their chairs up to the student-lamp. "I know I shouldn't be such a stick if I didn't have to wear low neck," she said. "I am always thinking about those awful collar-bones, and trying to hold my shoulders so as not to make them worse." "Oh, don't I know!" Dora had slipped on a soft red wrapper, and threw a blue one to her sister. When they were curled up in their big, cushioned chairs, they smiled appreciatively at each other. "Isn't this nicer than any party ever invented?" they exclaimed. Dora opened her books with energy, but Cora sat musing.