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 any lady that he or his committee might not be proud to receive? "

Notwithstanding the prayers of Mrs. Craig, the day of the picnic, as has been said, dawned bright and clear.

Gladys Carleton, as she stood for a moment on the balcony outside of her room, looking down into the shrubberies, smiled with pleasure at the splendid mass of color which lay below her. The rose garden, in its full blush of summer loveliness, was splendid with a glory of new-bloomed roses, whose petals were fast unfolding to the ardent gaze of their great golden lover, the sun. It was very early for Gladys to be about, scarcely seven o clock, but she had not slept very well, and so, throwing a loose wrapper about her, she had stepped out upon her little balcony and stood looking out on the fresh beauty of the earth.

For once she was not thinking of herself or her own beauty, which was, perhaps for that very reason, the fairest thing in all the bright picture.