It was
true that she possessed nothing suitable for ballroom wear; but then the
dance was to be quite informal, and she was too happy to fret herself
over that fact. She put on the white muslin frock which she had worn for
dinner ever since she had been with the de Vignes. It gave her a
fairylike daintiness that had a charm of its own of which she was utterly
unconscious. Perhaps fortunately, she had no time to think of her
appearance. When she descended again, her eyes were still shining with a
happiness so obvious that Billy, meeting her, exclaimed, "What have you
got to be so cheerful about?"
She proceeded to tell him of the glorious afternoon she had spent, and
was still in the midst of her description when Sir Eustace came up and
joined them.
"I thought you would manage it," he said, with smiling assurance. "And
now how many may I have? All the waltzes?"
Dinah's laugh rang so gaily that several heads were turned in her
direction, and she smothered it in alarm.
"I can only give you one," she said, with a great effort at sobriety.
"What? Oh, nonsense!" he protested, his blue eyes dominating hers. "You
couldn't be so shabby as that!"
Dinah's chin pointed merrily upwards. The situation had its humour. It
was certainly rather amusing to elude him. She knew he had caught her far
too easily the night before.
"It's all I have to offer," she declared.
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