old-fashioned house in that older part of New York in which Godmother
herself lived--only further south. But it was a remodelled house; the
old, high "stoop" had been taken away, and one entered, from the street
level, what had once been a basement dining-room but was now a kind of
reception hall. Here they left their wraps in charge of a well-bred
maid whom Godmother called by name and seemed to know. And then they
went up-stairs. Mary Alice was "all panicky inside," but she kept
trying to remember the Secret.

Their hostess was a middle-aged lady, very plain but motherly-looking.
She wore her hair combed in a way that would have been considered
"terribly old-fashioned" in Mary Alice's home town, and she had on
several large cameos very like some Mary Alice's mother had and scorned
to wear.

Mary Alice was reasonably sure this lady was not "a millionairess or
anything like that," and she didn't think she was another prima donna.
The lady's name meant nothing to her.

"Well," their hostess said as Godmother greeted her, "now the party
_can_ begin--here's Mary Alice! _Two_ Mary Alices!" she added as she
caught sight of the second one. "Who says this isn't going to be a
real party?"

Evidently they liked Godmother in this house; and evidently they were
prepared to like Mary Alice. Then, before she had time to think any
more about it, three or four persons came up to greet Godmother, who
didn't try to introduce Mary Alice at all--just let her "tag along"
without any responsibility.