"I'm not a butterfly anymore," said Alice. "I suppose I'll have a butterfly wedding (Harry will detest it, but he'll have to give in that once), but after that I expect to be as domestic as Bettina here, though not such a success at it, probably. Aren't these orange baskets the prettiest things?"
The girls, in their excitement, had almost forgotten to eat, but now they looked down at their plates. Fruit cups in orange baskets, with handles of millinery wire twisted with pink, green, yellow and violet tulle, added to the rainbow effect. The baskets were placed on paper doilies on tea plates, and were artistically lined with mint leaves.
"It looks too pretty to eat," said Dorothy.
"Ruth will feel hurt if you don't like it, but I know you will," said Bettina. "She prepared this course, and made most of the table decorations, too."
"And didn't you wish that you were announcing something yourself, Ruth?" asked Mary. "Although I don't believe the crowd could stand two such surprises! We've known Fred and you so long that your engagement seems the natural thing, but when a perfectly strange man like Mr. Harrison happens by, and helps himself to one of our number—well, it certainly takes my breath away! Where did you first meet him, Alice? Was it love at first sight?"
"Love at first sight? Bob introduced us—here, in this very house, and I thought—well—I thought Harry the most disagreeably serious man I'd ever had the misfortune to meet! And he thought me the most disagreeably frivolous girl he had ever seen! So our feud began, and of course we had to see each other to fight it out!"
"And then comes Bettina's rainbow luncheon to show us how serious the feud proved to be," laughed Barbara. "What? More courses, Bettina? This is a beautiful luncheon! I wonder who'll be the next to discover the treasure at the foot of the rainbow?"
The menu consisted of:
Fruit Cups in Orange Baskets
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Cream of Celery Soup Whipped Cream
Salt Wafers
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Tuna Moulds Egg Sauce
Potatoes a la Bettina
Green Peppers Stuffed with Creamed Cauliflower
Rolls Butter
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Head Lettuce, Russian Dressing
Thin Sandwiches in Fancy Shapes
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Marshmallow Cream
Coffee