Going over to where Ethel stood, Jane anxiously asked: "Did you see Alicia, Ethel?"
"Yes. She isn't coming. She said to tell you it was impossible for her to accept. I went to her room a few minutes after you left. I knocked until I was tired but no one answered. So I went back to my room. After a while I tried again and while I was standing at her door she came down the hall with Miss Noble. I asked her to come into my room a minute and told her."
"Funny she didn't give you any reason why she couldn't come," pondered Jane with drawn brows.
"She looked as though she'd been crying," returned Ethel. "I thought maybe she'd had bad news or something so I didn't urge her. She wasn't a bit snippy. She just looked white and a little bit sad."
"I wonder if I ought to run up and see her."
Jane stared at Ethel, her eyes fall of active concern.
"Better wait until to-morrow," advised Ethel. "Whatever's the matter with her, she may feel like being alone. You know how it is sometimes with one."
"Yes, I know."
Jane knew only too well how it felt to be sought out by even her friends when occasional black moods descended upon her.
"We may as well start," she said slowly. "As hostess I mustn't neglect my guests. I'll surely make it a point to see Alicia in the morning."