CHAPTER SIX
The two girls sat and thought hard for a moment; then Winnie suddenly thought of something.
“Just a minute, Adelaide!” she whispered, and she went over to the corner where Mrs. Bryan and Marie Hunter were discussing business together. The rest were still all talking dance excitedly by the fireplace.
“Opeechee,” she said, “may I ask you something? Would there be any reason why the girls couldn’t wear their ceremonial dresses to the dance?”
Mrs. Bryan thought for a moment.
“There’s no actual reason why we shouldn’t,” she said. “Only the idea is that the dresses should be kept for rather intimate and private things.”
“But it would be such a good idea if we wore them,” insisted Winona eagerly. “You see, perhaps—perhaps some of us mightn’t be able to afford new party dresses, and maybe we mightn’t have any old good ones, either.”
“Why, Winnie, you have that blue——” began Marie, and checked herself as she saw a light.
“Some of us mightn’t have any new party dresses,” repeated Winona obstinately, but with an appealing look at Mrs. Bryan. She did so hope she would understand! “Anyway, the boys expect us to,” she went on eagerly. “Tom said this afternoon that we’d better get the dresses ready, only we didn’t know then what he meant.”
Mrs. Bryan looked at Winona’s vivid, earnest face, and—understood.