"I don't know at all, mother. It seems Bernie has never visited there
before, though she has been to the house. Her uncle is queer, and why
he wants his two nieces all of a sudden, and his two nieces' friends,
nobody knows. It's sort of mysterious, I think."

"Well, it's all right, as long as you're properly invited. It seems
strange Bernie's cousin didn't care to take a friend."

"Yes; I wonder what she's like. Bernice hasn't seen her since they
were little girls. She lives out in Iowa, I think. She's at school in
Connecticut somewhere. It's all sort of unknown. But I like that part
of it. I love new experiences."

"I always do too, Dot," said her father. "I reckon when you come home,
you'll have lots to tell us."

"New York isn't so strange to me," said Dotty. "I've been there a lot
of times, you know. But to go and stay in a house there,--that's the
fun. It's so different from going in for a day's shopping with mother.
Or the day we all went to the Hippodrome."

"You'll probably go to the Hippodrome again, or some such
entertainment," suggested Mrs. Rose.

"I dunno. I imagine the old gentleman doesn't favour such gaiety. And
the housekeeper lady will likely be too busy to do much for us. We
can't go anywhere alone, can we?"

"I don't know," replied Mrs. Rose. "You must be guided by