ol regime will be resumed."

"Hooray! Nancy, you and Alma are herewith cordially invited to my room
to a negligee party at nine-twenty sharp. I had the good sense to
bring a few delicacies with me, leaving my trunk to the tender mercies
of the express company." Charlotte rose, and taking Nancy's arm, filed
out of the dining-room with the other girls, behind Miss Leland. But
in the living-room, a small band of girls fell upon Charlotte.

"Come along, old dear. Some dance-music now. Come on." And they bore
her off to the piano, deposited her almost bodily upon the bench, and
opened the keyboard. Three others rolled back the rugs from the
polished floor, and in a moment a dozen couples were spinning around as
gaily as if they were at a ball.

Nancy, a prey to her usual shyness in the midst of strangers, clung
close to the piano, where Charlotte, without pausing in her
astonishingly clever playing, reached up, and drew her down on the
piano bench, from where she could watch Alma.

Alma's prettiness and natural gaiety was having its usual success. The
younger girls crowded around her, the older girls petted her. Even the
frigid Mildred made her dance with her. Her cheeks were flushed, her
eyes bright again. By some indescribable charm she had walked into
instant popularity.

Without a shadow of envy, Nancy watched her, proudly. Alma was easily
the prettiest girl in the school--everyone must like her, everything
must go smoothly and gaily for her. There were people like that in the
world--people who didn't have to be wise or prudent--some kindly
providence seemed always to protect them from the consequences of their
lack of common sense, just as kindly nature protects the butterflies.

The dancers stopped one by one. Some gathered in groups about, the
fire, others clustered in the window-seats--one or two practical souls
had gone to their rooms to put away some of their things.

Charlotte's nimble fingers began to wander idly among the keys. Nancy
watched her curiously, listening in some surprise to the change in the
music. She felt an instinctive fondness for this big, whimsical,
friendly girl, and knew very well that underneath her nonsense lay a
streak of some fine quality that would make an unshakeable foundation
for a genuine friendship. She would have liked to talk to Charlotte by
herself; but Charlotte was already talking in her own way. She seemed
to have quite forgotten Nancy and everyone el