“Oh, dear,” Dolly sighed to herself, “I’m going to fail, after all. Last night, it was at her house, so the boys and girls had to be decent, but they won’t keep it up, and it’s all Bernie’s fault. I’ve done all I can. But I won’t give up! I can’t! I must succeed!”
In desperation she flew over to Bob Rose.
“Bob, please, for my sake, do go and skate with Bernice!”
“Good gracious, Dolly! Why this heart-rending plea? I’ll do it, if I must, but I’d a lot rather skate with you. She’s so—so—dressy, you see.”
“Never mind, just go! And stay, and keep on skating with her till somebody else asks her.”
“Whew! That’ll be till—well, off I go!”
Off Bob went, and was so pleasantly polite and courteous that Bernice had no suspicion that he had been asked to come.
“Hello,” he said, cordially. “May I have the honour of a glide with the girl in green?”
Bernice smiled, and consented gladly. She was a good skater, and they glided evenly along.
“Great little old lake, isn’t it?” said Bob, as they flew on. “We haven’t such a good skating place at school. Only a skinny little river, that hardly ever freezes solid.”