of coffee?" I held out my hand for her empty cup.

Bettie shook her head regarding the coffee, but handed her plate to
Mrs. Mundy. "You certainly can give me some more oysters. I've been
an Inmate for nine years and Inmates don't often have a chance at
oysters. At the City Home your chief nourishment is thankfulness.
You're expected to get fat on thankfulness. I ain't thankful, which
is what keeps me thin, maybe." She turned to me. "My dress looks
real nice, don't it? Seeing we're such different shapes, it's
strange how good your clothes fit me. I hope the rats won't eat this
dress. I'm going to keep it to be buried in. Good gracious! I
didn't know you was going to have ice-cream and cake. I wouldn't
have et all them oysters if I'd known."

When supper was over Dick Banister, who is Gracie Hurd's beau, asked
me, with awkward bowing, for the first dance, and, beginning with
him, I danced with every man in the room who made pretense of knowing
how, except Selwyn. He did not ask me. Bravely, however, he did his
part. He overlooked no one, and David Guard, watching, blinked his
eyes a bit and smiled. Selwyn would make a magnificent martyr. A
situation forced upon him is always met head up.

Mr. Crimm, who, like his wife, did not dance, though for different
reasons, at a quarter to twelve took out his watch and, looking at
it, got up with a start. "Come on, old lady, we've got to go."
Taking his wife by the arm, he held out his hand to me. "It's been
great, Miss Heath. I never had such a good time in my life. Good
night, friends." He bowed beamingly, then made a special bow in
Selwyn's direction.