sure of it,--she as good as told me so," was
Anna's only remark upon this.

"And now she's going to play some trick on Angela to take her down, as
she calls it; that's what you think, isn't it? And that's what _I_
think. Oh, Anna, I wish I could ferret out the mischief and stop it. It
will be something hateful and mortifying to poor Angela, I know. If I
could only get some clew to what it is, so as to warn her."

"Yes; but as we are not sure that there _is_ any mischief, after all,
you mustn't say anything to anybody yet."

"No, of course not; but I'll keep a sharp lookout, and I _may_ hear or
see something that will give me a hint. What fun it would be to outwit
one of the Ryder schemes!"

"Mary! with all your Quaker bringing-up, I do believe you are just
pining for what our Jack would call 'a scrimmage.'"

"Well, I am, if that means getting the better of mischief-makers," Mary
confessed with a laugh.

"But you won't succeed, if the mischief-makers are Nelly and Lizzy
Ryder, Those, girls seem to get the best of everything and everybody.
Think now, for one thing, of their being acquaintances of Marian
Selwyn's, and invited to her birthday party!"

"Oh, well, that is family acquaintance, Anna. The Ryders have always
known the Selwyns, just as we have. The Selwyns and Ryders and Marcys
have lived in Westboro', and visited each other for ages."

"I wish _I_ had, and then I might have been invited to this wonderful
birthday party," exclaimed Anna, with a certain earnestness of tone that
belied her gay little laugh, and made Mary say regretfully,--

"I wish I'd known you felt like this last week, I would have had you and
Marian 'round to tea, and then you would have got acquainted, and she'd
have been sure to have invited you; but it's too late now, for the party
comes off Thursday, you know."

"Thursday! Why, Thursday is the first of April.. How funny that one's
birthday should come on the first of April!"

"Funny--why?"

"Why? Because it's April-fool's day."

"Oh, I see; but I'm so used to Marian's birthdays, I don't always stop
to think of that."

"But don't some people think of it? Don't they sometimes play--Oh, oh,
Mary, Mary, mayn't this be your clew? Don't you believe that Nelly
Ryder has been planning an April-fool trick upon Angela in connection
with this party?"

Mary, who had been sitting on one of the wide window-seats in the
recitation-room, jumped to her feet at this, with a little scream of