e air and the lure of green
things growing.

"I must go into the house," sighed Miriam Nesbit. "I have that
appalling trigonometry lesson for to-morrow to prepare from beginning to
end. I haven't looked at it yet."

"I peeped at it yesterday," said Anne. "It's the worst one we've had, so
far."

"The end is not yet," reminded Grace.

"Well it will be in sight before long. Our freshman year is almost over,
didn't you know it, children!" queried Miriam laughingly.

"It has seemed long in some respects and short in others," reflected
Grace. "I think--" Grace paused. A tall, rather stout girl came
hurriedly up the walk. She stalked up the steps and into the house
without looking to the right or left. Even in that fleeting moment Grace
noted that she seemed rather excited and that she carried in her hand an
open letter. "I wonder if now would be a good time to tackle her,"
speculated Grace. Then deciding that, after all, there was nothing to be
gained without making a venture, Grace walked resolutely to the door.
"I'll see you later, girls," was her only remark as she passed inside.

Once outside Elfreda's door, Grace did not feel quite so confident.
Summoning all her courage, however, she knocked. An impatient voice
called, "Come in," and Grace accepted the rather ungracious invitation
to enter. J. Elfreda sat facing the window intent upon the letter Grace
had seen in her hand. She turned sharply as the door closed, then
catching sight of Grace, sprang to her feet, her face clouded with
anger. "How dare you come in here?" she stormed.

"You said 'Come in,' Elfreda," returned Grace quietly.

"Yes, but not to you," raged Elfreda. "Never to you. Leave my room
instantly and don't come back again."

"I won't trouble you long," returned Grace. "I came to put you on your
guard against two young women who are about to make mischief for you. I
am very sorry I did not tell you long ago that Miss Wicks and Miss
Hampton were the originators of the anonymous letter which caused you so
much unhappiness. I suspected as much at the time, and accused them of
writing it. They neither affirmed nor denied their part in the affair,
although they admitted that certain members of the sophomore class wrote
the letter. I threatened to take up the matter with the sophomore class
if the two young women persisted in making you unhappy, and this threat
evidently influenced them to drop their crusade against you.

"To a certain extent I feel