Gwen tired soon, and went away for a while to rest before supper while the others had games and dancing. She reappeared for a short time to take her place beside Jan at the head of the table, and be waited on like one of a pair of queen bees, plied with honey, instead of waiting on her guests, as she would have done at any ordinary party.
But, as the guests agreed when they departed early, it was not an ordinary party in any sense, and Jan convulsed her hearers by declaring that it was nicer—more like a Crescendo party—than any she had seen in New York. “But,” she added, gloating over her treasures, “it would be queer if I hadn’t thought it nice.”
Mrs. Graham, remembering the magnitude of her orders at expensive caterers, smiled to herself at the notion of Jan’s birthday party and Gwen’s “thanksgiving party,” as Sydney called it, resembling the gaieties of Crescendo. But she understood that Jan had meant that it was more simple and childish than the early-old functions which she had seen since her arrival, and was well pleased.
“You’re all so good to me!” sighed Jan, as she kissed her uncle and aunt good night, with an extra hug for gratitude. “I can’t ever thank you!”
“Pshaw! It’s all because we never saw ‘gallant like young Lochinvar,’” said Sydney, who was standing by.
CHAPTER XVII
“THERE WAS MOUNTING ’MONG GRAEMES OF THE NETHERBY CLAN”
The Graham family was at breakfast, the same group assembled—with the addition of Jan herself—as on that morning nearly half a year before when Mr. Graham had struck consternation to it, individually and collectively, by announcing Jan’s coming.
Susan no longer stood behind Jerry’s chair, for she no longer misbehaved sufficiently to require special watchfulness, so Susan supplemented the waitress in small tasks, and now brought in the mail and laid it at Mr. Graham’s place.
Mr. Graham sorted it, handed three or four notes to his wife, gave Sydney a notice from his school-club secretary, handed Jack the paper with the adventure serial he was pursuing rather than perusing, smiled as he gave Gladys a pink envelope suggestive of heliotrope and addressed in a girl’s hand, and kept several letters for himself.