"Some of these people think they're at a funeral. Mix them up and
introduce them again if they don't talk to each other. Take Mr.
Banister over to Gracie Hurd. He's afraid to cross the room to get
to her and she hasn't budged since she came in. And get Mr.
Schrioski from Mrs. Gibbons. She's telling him about the baby's
whooping-cough and enjoying the telling; but he isn't. Go to him
first."

As I spoke to Lucy, David Guard came in the room. He wore his usual
clothes, but his cravat was fixed with apparent firmness and no
longer crawled half-way up his collar, and his hair had been
carefully brushed. As we shook hands I laughed.

"I'm frightened. Did you ever do a thing in a hurry and then wonder
what you did it for? Most of these people have such a stupid time at
home, so seldom go out at night, that I thought I'd have a party for
them, but they seem to think they're at a show waiting for the
curtain to go up. What am I going to do?"

"Give them time. They can't unlimber all at once. Mrs. Crimm over
there thinks it would be improper for her to smile, as she's just
lost her brother, but Mr. Crimm is a performance in himself. What's
he in uniform for?"

"He goes on duty at twelve, and he doesn't want to lose time going
home to change. Look at Archer Barbee. I believe he's in love with
Loulie Hill."

"He is. I hope they are going to be married soon. Why don't you let
these people dance?"