"What shall we do?—no one wants to sit and look on—it is very stupid, and the rest of us wouldn't enjoy it, either, to have any wallflowers about," Kitty McKenzie regretfully remarked. "Oh! Mrs. Montague," she added, as if the idea had just occurred to her, "there is your pretty seamstress; may she not come, just for this once?"
Mrs. Montague hesitated.
"Please," persisted the generous-hearted Kitty; "she is very nice and lady-like; I am sure no one could object to her, and I know she would enjoy it."
Two or three others seconded the proposal, and the lady then gave her consent, though with evident reluctance.
Miss Kitty, all elated with the success of her project, and never dreaming that Mona would not enjoy it, ran away to bring her down.
She found her in her own room reading a recent magazine.
"Come," she said, with gleaming eyes, "you are to join us in the german.
I have Mrs. Montague's permission, and we are all waiting for you."
"I thank you very much Miss McKenzie," Mona responded, flushing, "but I do not believe I will go down."
"Oh, do; we need just one more lady, and some of the gentlemen will have to sit it out if you do not. Miss Nellie Wellington has to play for us, or she would dance, so please come," Miss Kitty urged, looking disappointed enough over Mona's unexpected refusal.
Mona shrank from joining the dancers, or from mingling with the company, for several reasons.