ys
you're a genius. To think of my knowing a genius! I must go and tell
Helen Chase Adams."

Down-stairs Madeline was telephoning to Clara Madison, who, owing to her
strong prejudice against bed-making, still lived off the campus. "A dark
horse," she explained, "is a person like Roberta Lewis. I didn't have
time to tell you this morning. Good-b----Oh! haven't you heard? She's
going to be Shylock. No, the committee haven't announced it yet, but Mr.
Masters shouted it aloud in the corridor at college hall. Don't forget
what a dark horse is, Clara."

The B's, innocently supposing that Roberta was out because her windows
were dark, were celebrating in Nita's room, while they awaited her
return. This meant that Babbie was doing a cake-walk with an imaginary
partner, Babe a clog-dance, and Bob a highland fling, while Nita hugged
her tallest vase and her prettiest teacup and besought them to stop
before Mrs. Kent came to see who was tearing the house down.

Bob stopped first, though not on account of Nita's bric-a-brac or a
possible visit from Mrs. Kent.

"Nita," she demanded breathlessly, "did you say Betty thought of
Roberta?"

"Yes," Nita assented. "Nobody else on the committee knows her at all
except Rachel, and she is as surprised as the rest of us."

"Gee!" Bob's tone was deep with meaning. "Then I know who won't like
it."

"Who?" Babe ended her dance to ask.

"Jean Eastman," said Bob solemnly.

Babe gave her a disdainful glance. "How much brains do you think it
takes to find that out, Bob Parker? Of course she won't like it."

But Bob only smiled loftily and declared that if Roberta hadn't come in
by this time they must all go straight home to dinner.

CHAPTER XII

CALLING ON ANNE CARTER

Pleasant things generally submerged the unpleasant ones at Harding, so
Betty's delight in Roberta's unexpected success quite wiped out her
remembrance of Bob's theories about Jean, until, several days after the
Shylock trials, Jean herself confirmed them.

"I want to be sure that you know I'm going to try for Bassanio," she
said, overtaking Betty on the campus between classes, "so you can have
plenty of time to hunt up a rival candidate. I can't imagine who it will
be unless you can make Eleanor Watson believe that it's her duty to the
class to try. But this time I hope you'll come out into the open and
play fair, or at least as nearly fair as you can, considering that you
ought to be helping me. I may not be