If the young American had become interested in Bettina through their romantic encounter, Miss Patricia had decided that he could be allowed the privilege of looking at her, or even of addressing a remark to her across the table, but for the present this was sufficient.
If her own judgment counted for anything, Bettina was well worth observation on this particular occasion.
Notwithstanding her leniency in regard to Bettina’s previous costume, Bettina had answered her unspoken wish and was now wearing her prettiest evening gown. The dress was made of white chiffon with bands of silver embroidery over the shoulders and around the waist. She also wore a little fine string of pearls, a gift from her father several years before.
Bettina’s fair hair was bound closely about her head in two heavy braids; it was a characteristic of her’s that she was always at her best in evening clothes, partly because her head was so beautifully set on her long, slender neck.
She was next Ralph Marshall and on his other side was Peggy Webster. Peggy wore a rose-colored gown and with her dark hair and eyes and brilliant color formed a striking contrast to Bettina’s fairness.
How utterly different had been the circumstances of the lives of this particular group of Camp Fire girls before their association with one another! And yet in their own way each girl appeared tonight at almost equal advantage!
Vera Lagerloff was the daughter of Russian peasants who had emigrated to the United States and were at present small farmers upon a portion of Peggy Webster’s father’s large estate.
Vera was perhaps not beautiful in the opinion of most persons, but was singularly interesting, with her long Slavic eyes of a curious grayish green shade, her heavy hair, and her expression of dignity and intelligence.
Moreover, she also had been transformed into greater beauty through the art of Miss Patricia’s newly discovered French dressmaker.
Vera’s dress was of an unusual shade of green, a little like the color of her eyes, a shade few persons could have worn, but peculiarly suited to her. Following simple, almost severely plain lines, the dress was trimmed with an odd piece of old Russian embroidery, of bronze and green and blue threads.