er," suggested Katherine rebelliously. "There
can't be many more nice days."

But Betty shook her head. "We don't want to hurt her feelings. She's a
dear, even if she does act queerly this week. Besides, every one of us
but Roberta and Madeline has that written lesson in English 10
to-morrow, and we ought to study. I'm scared to death over it."

"So am I," agreed Katherine sadly. "I suppose we'd better wait."

"But we can go walking," said Madeline to Roberta, and Roberta, more
hurt than any of the rest by her idol's strange conduct, silently
assented.

They were scuffling gaily through the fallen leaves on an unfrequented
road through the woods, when they heard a carriage coming swiftly up
behind them and turned to see--of all persons--Mary Brooks, who hated
driving, and Dr. Hinsdale. Mary was talking gaily and looked quite
reconciled to her fate, and Dr. Hinsdale was leaving the horses very
much to themselves in the pleasant absorption of watching Mary's face.
Indeed so interested were the pair in each other that they almost passed
the two astonished girls standing by the roadside, without recognizing
them at all. But just as she whirled past, Mary saw them, and leaned
back to wave her hand and smile her "beamish" smile at the unwitting
discoverers of her secret.

It was dusk and nearly dinner time before Dr. Hinsdale drew his horses
up in front of the house around the corner, but Mary's "little friends"
gave up dressing, without a qualm, and even risked missing their soup to
sit, lined up in an accusing row on her bed and her window-box, ready to
greet her when she stumbled into her dark room and lit her gas.

"Oh, girls! What a start you gave me!" she cried, suddenly perceiving
her visitors. "I suppose you think I'm perfectly horrid," she went on
hastily, "but truly I couldn't help it. When a faculty asks you to go
driving, you can't tell him that you hate it--and I couldn't for the
life of me scrape up a previous engagement."

"Speaking of engagements"--began Madeline provokingly.

"All's fair in love, Mary," Katherine broke in. "You're perfectly
excusable. We all think so."

"Who said anything about love?" demanded Mary, stooping to brush an
imaginary speck of dust from her skirt.

"Next time," advised Rachel laughingly, "you'd better take us into your
confidence. You've given yourself a lot of unnecessary bother, and us
quite a little worry, though we don't mind that now."

"Why didn't you tell us th