There was a dark wainscoting round the hall, and Jack saw with no small surprise that, thrown into relief by the dark background, her dainty dress becoming her perfectly, she formed a really lovely picture. His admiration showed in his eyes, and suddenly a beautiful flush spread over her somewhat colourless cheeks.

"That's the first time you've ever seen anything in me but a harum-scarum tom-boy, isn't it, Jack?" she said, and there was an unaccountable note of wistfulness in her tone. "Look again--Eileen will be here directly, and then you will forget."

A light footstep sounded at the top of the stairs, and instantly she dashed her hand across her eyes as if to drive away some unwelcome recollection, and laughing gayly, called:

"Come along, Eileen; I've been playing your _role_ of family beauty for nearly ten minutes, just to see how it felt, but 'harum-scarum Paddy'

suits me best, and you've come just at the right time to save me from a total collapse."

Jack took a step forward to the staircase, with all his soul in his eyes, as Eileen came slowly down, saying:

"Don't be silly, Paddy. I'm sure the first place is yours to-night."

Jack said nothing, but he thought he had never in all his life seen anything so beautiful as Eileen Adair. She wore white only, and the fluffy, lacy style that was so becoming to Paddy was replaced in her dress by an almost severe simplicity, that suited perfectly her Madonna-like sweetness, and deep, calm, wonderful eyes.

"Well, we won't let Jack be a second Paris, anyhow," laughed Paddy, "because he would not give a perfectly unbiased judgment, being already prejudiced. But where are the aunties?" turning to the drawing-room, from which came a sound of voices; "are they here yet?"

"Rather!" exclaimed Jack impressively. "You just see! I tell you, you and Eileen are not in it," and they all crossed the hall together.

Paddy threw open the drawing-room door with a flourish, and, as they entered, exclaimed, "Behold!--not the meeting of the two great monarchs of old, but the meeting of the reigning beauties of Omeath to-day."

Then she darted forward toward the two little ladies, crying, "Oh, you look just lovely!--lovely! I really must hug you."

"Oh! my dear! my dear!" they both gasped, and Miss Jane got quickly behind her chair, while Miss Mary fluttered across the room and ensconced herself behind the sofa.

"What's the matter!" cried Paddy. "I won't touch you--I promise I won't. Do come out and let us have a full view."

After thoroughly rea.s.suring themselves that she really meant it, Miss Jane stepped forward, and Miss Mary timidly followed suit, and then began a general criticising and admiring all round, in which Jack joined in his usual lively fashion.

"Aunties, don't you think Cinderella's Fairy G.o.dmother must have been here with her magic wand!" he exclaimed, "and turned Paddy into as much of a beauty as she could possibly get her? I shall take care not to be dancing with her at twelve o'clock, because I feel quite certain on the first stroke of the hour she will become herself again, and her hair will be coming down, her dress torn, and she will look just like she does in ordinary life."

"Then we shall only be better paired than we were before," retorted Paddy, "because you do not look in the least like a prince. Aunt Mary, you are lovely!" running on with eager warmth. "Oh! I should like to know what you looked like at my age."

"She was very beautiful, my dear," said Aunt Jane proudly. "I always dressed her for b.a.l.l.s myself."

"Oh; no, not quite that, sister," murmured Miss Mary, in anxious self-deprecation; "just pretty, perhaps, sister, but that was all."

"No; beautiful," a.s.serted Miss Jane again, in a voice that allowed no contradiction.

"And you the same, Aunt Jane, I expect!" said Eileen, smiling.

"No, I was more like Paddy here. I knew that my chief charm lay in my expression and spirits, and so I did not worry any more than she about my appearance and clothes."

"Do I understand you to say you didn't bother to wear clothes, Aunt Jane?" asked Jack in solemn surprise, at which the two little ladies looked horrified and Paddy and Eileen laughed, and just then the General, who had at last managed to get into his extra-special best dress suit, bustled into the room.

"Jack, my boy," he said, taking the younger man's arm, "take my advice and don't let yourself get stout. If you only knew what I have gone through, trying to get into these clothes!--I wonder I didn't have a fit of apoplexy! There! I do indeed! And five years ago they fitted me perfectly. Bedad! I'm not sure now the coat won't split all up the back before the evening is half over, and I'm afraid to see if I can sit down for fear it might result in my not being able to go to the ball at all."

"We wouldn't go without you, daddy, anyhow," exclaimed Paddy. "Don't the aunties look lovely? Aren't you just dreadfully in love with both of them? I'm sure mother will be jealous before the evening is over."

"Certainly I am; I always have been! Didn't you know that, you minx!

If they hadn't both been so obdurate long ago all sorts of things might have happened, eh, Jane?" and the old man laughed heartily. "Do you remember boxing my ears under the mulberry tree one Sunday afternoon?

Faith! you were a vixen," and he laughed so heartily that Mrs Adair hurried forward with anxious reminders concerning his clothes.

"They weren't made to laugh in, daddy," cried Paddy delightedly, "and I feel a little like that about mine, so we'd better keep together, and remind each other occasionally, hadn't we?"

Carriage wheels were heard then, and the roomy omnibus engaged to carry them all to the Lodge drove up to the door.

The two little ladies got in first, holding their new silk dresses very high above their ankles, and carefully folding shawls all round them before they ventured to sit down, in case there was a speck of dirt on the seats. Then Mrs Adair and Eileen, whose eyes were shining already with a new happiness; and lastly Paddy and Jack hoisted the General up between them, so that there was the least possible strain upon his clothes.

Then they set off amid the usual sparring between Jack and Paddy, a gentle sort of purring from the two little ladies, and sundry loud guffaws from the General. Only Eileen and her mother were silent--the one lost in a dear dreamland of delicious antic.i.p.ation, and the other anxiously, watching with vague misgivings in her heart.

There were no misgivings for Eileen that night. The last week had held so many dear moments, her mind was only too ready to be blinded to all else and wait dreamily for her joy.

But a mother's eyes see so much, and Mrs Adair knew her world--likewise little Miss Mary, who, in the midst of her soft purring, now and then threw wistful glances toward Eileen's shining eyes and beautiful face.

Mrs Blake and Lawrence received their guests in the large billiard-room, which had been cleared for dancing, and by the time the party from The Ghan House arrived quite a large number had already collected. When General Adair led Miss Jane into the room with old-fashioned courtly grace, followed closely by Mrs Adair and Miss Mary, and the young folks at their heels, there was quite a little stir among the chatting groups. For though they did not entertain in a big way themselves, General and Mrs Adair were known and respected throughout the county, while the two girls were favourites wherever they went; and, as has already been said, the little ladies from the rectory were almost an inst.i.tution.

When Mrs Blake and Lawrence had shaken hands with them, others cl.u.s.tered round eagerly, but Lawrence had time to look hard into Eileen's eyes, and murmur, "Don't forget the first dance is mine,"

before she was carried off by other friends. Paddy and Jack were almost immediately seized upon by Kathleen and Doreen, who were in great glee over their own coming-out.

"How does it feel?" asked Jack. "Anything like a snail squeezing out of a sh.e.l.l, or like falling out of a tree?"

"Neither," they exclaimed; "more like being crowned queen."

"And expecting everyone to bow down to you," added Doreen gayly. "I hope you are prepared to be finely ordered about?"

"That won't be anything new. It seems to me I have been at yours and Kathleen's beck and call ever since I can remember--to say nothing of Paddy and Eileen, who treat me as if I was only created to wait on them.

I suppose I shall be expected to lead off the ball with one of you!"

feigning disgust.

"What impudence!" they cried together. "Here are we impressing upon you that in future you are to treat us with great respect, and you start off by coolly claiming one of the greatest favours we can confer."

"Not at all," quoth Jack. "I merely await your orders. I know that one of you will expect me to have the first dance with you, and all I ask is, which?"

"Then you are just wrong," said Doreen, tossing her head. "I wouldn't lead the dance off with you--if--if--my kingdom depended upon it."

"Well, I never asked you to," wickedly. "You shouldn't be in such a hurry to decline before you're asked."

"You wretch," with a laugh. "Well, I'll just take you to pay you out.

There--write 'Jack' on the first line at once," and she handed him her programme.

Jack took it readily, for of the two he preferred Doreen, the younger, and he calmly proceeded to write his name faintly the whole way down the cardboard.

"Goodness!" she cried, when he gave it back to her. "Look at this, Paddy! Did you ever see such cool impudence?"

"They're nearly all promised to me," said Paddy calmly, "so it's of no consequence, and now we can both treat him as we like. He'll be very useful if we get partners we don't like, and, of course, he can't dance with anyone else."

"No of course not--what fun," and Doreen and Paddy went of gayly, while Jack sought Eileen.