a dazzling breast-knot of shimmery blue, the colour of my eyes, and I
looked new-born in it.

I'm glad that poor Mr. Carter was so stern with me about pads in my
hair, now that they are out of fashion, for I've got lots of my own left
in consequence of not wearing other people's. It clings and coils to my
head just anyhow, so that it looks as if I had spent an hour on it. That
made me able to be ready to go down to Tom in only ten minutes over the
time he gave me.

I stopped on next to the bottom step in the wide old hall and called Tom
to turn out the light for me, as Jane had gone out.

I have turned out that light lots of times, but I felt it best to let
Tom see me in a full light when we were alone. It is well I did! At
first it stunned him--and it is a compliment to any woman to stun Tom
Pollard. But Tom doesn't stay stunned long.

"Molly," he said, standing off and looking at me with shining eyes, "you
are one lovely dream. Your cheeks are peaches under cream, your eyes are
blue forget-me-nots, and your mouth a red blossom. Come on before I lose
my head looking at you." I didn't know whether I liked that or not, and
turned down the light quickly myself and went to the gate hurriedly. Tom
laughed and behaved himself.

Everybody in town was at the hotel, and everybody was nice to me, girls
and all. There is a bunch of lovely posy girls in this town, and they
were all in full flower. Most of the men were a few years younger than
I. I have been friends with them for always, and they know how I dance.
I didn't even get near enough to the wall to know it was there, though