All the guests much regretted it also, except Pennie, who began to feel a faint hope that she might after all enjoy herself if the dean were not going too.
The party set out a little later to walk to the Institute, which was quite a short distance off.
“May I sit by you?” asked Pennie, edging up to her newly-found friend, Sabine.
She was a funny little girl, rather younger than Nancy, with short black curls all over her head, and small twinkling eyes. Pennie had always thought she liked her better than the others, and now she felt sure of it.
“Do you like dissolving views or magic lanterns best?” she went on.
“Magic lanterns much,” said Sabine promptly. “You see dissolving views are never funny at all. They’re quite serious and teachy.”
“What are they about?” asked Pennie.
“Oh! sunsets, and palm-trees, and natives, and temples, and things like that,” said Sabine. “I don’t care about them at all, but Joyce likes them, so perhaps you will.”
“Why do you come, if you don’t like them?” asked Pennie.
“Because it’s my turn and Joyce’s,” said Sabine. “We always go to things in twos; there are six of us, you see.”