"Tell them? I shan't tell them at all," cried the old gentleman; "I'm
going to have a surprise, too. No one must know it but you and Mrs.
Pepper."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Whitney. "It was very stupid in me not to understand
that. It will be all right, father; Mrs. Pepper and I will keep our
secret, you needn't fear."

"If you can only keep HER out of the way," exclaimed Mr. King, pointing
irascibly in the direction of Mrs. Chatterton's apartments, "all will be
well. But I doubt if you can; her meddlesome ears and tongue will be at
work as usual," he added in extreme vexation.

"Here comes Jasper," exclaimed Mrs. Whitney, which had the satisfactory
result of bringing her father out of his irritation, into a flutter over
the concealment of the party preparations.

"Jasper," cried Polly that evening, as they ran into the music-room to
play a duet, "we're all right about everything now, as your father says
we may invite the girls and your friends."

"And he said when I asked him if we ought not to have cake and coffee,
'I'll attend to that,'" said Jasper, "so everything is all straight as
far as I can see, Polly."

"The private boxes trouble me, I must confess," said Polly, drumming
absently on the keys, while Jasper spread the sheet of music on the
rack. "You know there must be two; one for dear Mr. King and one for the
boys as guests of honor. Now how shall we manage them?"