ground swell of the war. The ship may go down yet."

"While the boys and girls dance? I hope not!" The soldier's eyes ran
smiling over the dancing throng. Then he dropped his voice:

"Listen!"

For a very young boy and girl had come to stand in front of them. The boy
had just parted from a girl a good deal older than himself, who had
nodded to him a rather patronizing farewell, as she glided back into the
dance with a much decorated Major.

"These pre-war girls are rather dusty, aren't they?" said the boy angrily
to his partner.

"You mean they give themselves airs? Well, what does it matter? It's _we_
who have the good time now!" said the little creature beside him, a fairy
in filmy white, dancing about him as she spoke, hardly able to keep her
feet still for a moment, life and pleasure in every limb.

The two soldiers--both fathers--smiled at each other. Then Helena came
down the room, a vision of spring, with pale green floating about her,
and apple-blossoms in her brown hair. She was dancing with Geoffrey
French, and both were dancing with remarkable stateliness and grace to
some Czech music, imposed upon the band by Helena, who had given her
particular friends instruction on the lawn that afternoon in some of the
steps that fitted it. They passed with the admiring or envious eyes of
the room upon them, and disappeared through the window leading to the
lawn. For on the smooth-shaven turf of the lawn there was supplementary
dancing, while the band in the conservatory, with all barriers removed,