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145

New Year's Eve has always been the special property of the Grand Hotel de Pekin, but Thursday is the regular dancing nightnof the Grand Hotel des Wagon-Lits. The Wagon-Lits had announced a big party for tonight, but there was much dispute among dancers as to which place would be the best. Louise came over about ten and we three went to the Wagon-Lits for a dance or two. The place was already crowded and there were gay costumes and gay noises. The main effect of the party was a ball haging in the ballroom, set with little mirrors, which, when revolved inn the light from three projectors in annotherwise darkened room gave a weird kaleidescopic light effect over the room and the dancers. We stayed long enough to have the first waltz under this light and then Louise went home while Dorothy and I went overto the Peking to join the Rubys' party there [[^at 11.45]] 

There were the Rubys themselves, the Wilsons, the Ennises, the Chamberlains and the Severinghauses. When we arrived we went in to the special table in a far corner of the dining room. There we found our places according to some very clever place-cards. Mine, for instance, was a calendar sheet for the third month on which had been pasted a picture of a well-known alarm clock. By each place was a package of mystery. After a dance we were permitted to open the packages on by one, and in each was some toy with special reference to the recipient. Mine was a magazine picture, apparently from Boy's Life or the American Boy, labelled "What's wrong with this picture", including almost nothing that was right. It had been mounted in imitation of the style of Chinese scrolls and annotated, "Referred to the art critic."

An excellent supper was soon served between dances, and withbthe supper came our programs for the evening. The party was in honor of the Chamberlains, who are going home this month, and these program cards contained little boat pictures and Chinese inscriptions, "May your road be entirely peaceful." On the reverse were lists of movie stars. Each card was headed with the name of a man or woman, and below were the names of the women or men who were to be dance partners. Evidently as a result of my antics of the other night I drew the name of the redoubtable Charlie, while Dorothy was non other [[^than]] Betty Blythe.