ted the room.

Miss Cresswell and Nancy followed, with cheery words to encourage Mary and
Elizabeth for to-morrow's work. Nora O'Day remained. She was quite a
striking figure as she stood leaning with her elbow against the mantel,
looking down into the grate. As always, she was richly dressed. Her loose
robe of crimson silk, her dark hair hanging in a single braid, and her
olive-tinted skin presented a glowing picture.

"I waited until the others left," she said, "to speak to you alone,
Elizabeth. I have been wishing to for several days, but you were so busy,
I didn't feel that I could take you from your work."

"You can talk together here. I am going into the bedroom," said Mary,
making ready to disappear.

"No; I do not wish to disturb you. I intended asking Elizabeth to walk to
the end of the hall with me. I love to sit on the window-seat at the
landing. The campus is beautiful in the moonlight. No one is disturbed by
the talking there. I think Mrs. Schuyler will not mind late hours
to-night, since we go home to-morrow. Will you come, Elizabeth?"

"Yes; wait one minute until I get a wrap. That window-seat is full of
drafts, I know. I have sat there before."

Taking down a golf cape, she wrapped it about her. "Come," she added,
drawing Miss O'Day's arm through her own. "We will be night-hawks until
Mrs. Schuyler finds us. Don't lock the door, Mary. I'll slip in later."

A delightfully broad window-seat filled with cushions was at the turn of
the stairway, where one had a view of the campus, now snow covered,
beautiful in the glimmer of the moonlight.

Arranging the cushions here to her satisfaction, Nora began the
conversation. "I heard you talk in the meeting yesterday, Elizabeth, and I
wish to thank you."

"Why thank me? I only said what I thought."

"Some girls might have done considerably less--to my knowledge some of
them have. You ran the risk of being unpopular, and yet you were willing
to take that risk because you were my friend. That is the kind of
friendship that is worth having. You do not know how pleased, how glad I
was! Why, I had not been so happy for months."

"Take the risk! Because I was your friend! Well, I must be awfully dense,
but really, Nora, I haven't the faintest idea what you are trying to
say."

"You say that to escape my thanks--my gratitude. That is just your way. I
might have expected as much. You do a generous, noble deed and then slip
away from the gratitude that follows