the signal in the kitchen that it was time to remove
the first course.

"Nobody touched it!" echoed Rosemary in alarm. "Let me see!"

She hurried around the table to inspect Nina's tray. Sure enough,
six little cups, still filled with soup, were there.

"Say, something's the matter with the soup," said Bessie Kent in a
shrill whisper as she came in with her tray. "They didn't eat
it--see, all the cups are full."

"Did Miss Parsons say anything?" asked Rosemary, staring at the
trays which now surrounded her. "How does she look?"

"Kind of queer," answered Fannie Mears, breaking her silence. "She
must feel funny, with all those folks sitting and looking at their
soup and not eating it."

"You hush up!" said Bessie Kent rudely. "There's the buzzer. Come
on, girls, we'd better hustle."

In a daze Rosemary saw to it that the trays were filled again, but
she took no pride in the beautifully browned pies, the fragrant corn
pudding or the glistening potatoes wrapped in snowy napkins. Her
dinner, she was sure, was ruined. She wanted to run home and cry
where no one would see her, but instead she saw to it that each girl
had what she needed on her tray. Then, when her two assistants were
arranging the forks and plates for the salads, Rosemary slipped over
to the table where she had put the soup kettle and tasted the
contents.

Salt! The soup was so thick with salt that she choked. Rich and
thick and smooth, what did it matter the texture or flavor, since
only one overpowering taste was present--that of salt.

"How could it get like that!" puzzled Rosemary as she drank a glass
of water. "I tasted it just before we served it and it was fine.
What on earth must Miss Parsons be thinking of me!"

Empty plates were carried back to the kitchen next time, and word
reached the young cooks that the pies were "wonderful" or "simply
great"--this last the expressed opinion of Mr. Oliver--and the fruit
salad met with an equally hearty reception. But not even the evident
enthusiastic approval which greeted the delicious ice-cream and cake
and perfect coffee which concluded the dinner, could compensate
Rosemary for her earlier mortification. When the meal was over and
the guests had gone down to the gymnasium for the reception and the
other girls had shed their aprons and followed, Nina too eager to
display the blue velvet frock to wait for Rosemary who insisted
there were several things she had to attend to, then she felt she
migh