"And nobody'll know who anybody is," chimed in Nancy, "for Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte will receive, and Dorothy will walk up to greet them, so neither of us will even know who Dorothy is."
"What fun!" cried Jeanette, and the little group laughed gaily. "Any boys besides me invited?" questioned Reginald.
"Yes, indeed, there are ever so many boys invited," Dorothy said. "My cousins Russell and Arthur are coming, and three of papa's nephews will be here. I've never met them, but they're coming for a little visit of a few days, and I'm to have my party while they're here."
"If you girls are going to wear those funny long cloaks, of course they'll hide who you are, but you'll every one of you know us fellows," said Reginald, who felt that the girls were more favored.
"Indeed, we won't know you," laughed Dorothy, "for papa insists that you boys must wear dominoes, too."
"Hurrah for us, I say!" shouted Reginald; "we'll have as much fun as you girls will." "And we've two weeks to wait," said Katie Dean, "and all that time we're not to tell what we're to be."
"Nor even the color of our dominoes," said Jeanette.
"I sha'n't tell what I'm to be," Reginald proudly said, "but some of you girls will just _have_ to tell; girls can't keep a secret."
"We can keep a secret, Reginald Dean," said Mollie, to which Flossie chimed in:
"Yes, indeed we can. I _can't_ tell what I'm to be, because I don't know; mamma hasn't told me, but I _do_ know what color I'm to wear, and I won't tell that!"
"Somebody'll tell something, see 'f they don't!" he said, nodding and laughing.
It was now just a week from the day set for the party.
Arabella, hurrying along the avenue, tried to thrust her arms into the sleeves of her jacket.
"O dear! I shouldn't think this jacket had any armholes!" she cried impatiently.
She had hurried out before Aunt Matilda could stop her, and she was trying to get her jacket on without pausing to do so. At last her arms were in her sleeves, and she looked ahead to see if any one was in sight.
"She'll be awful cross if I'm late," thought Arabella, and she tried to run even faster.
There were two reasons for Arabella's haste. The first was that she had promised to meet Patricia, and the second reason was that it was Saturday morning, and if she remained at home Aunt Matilda would be sure to find something for her to do. Of course Aunt Matilda would ask where she had been, and why she had run out so early, and oh, no end of questions!