keep
our dislikes to ourselves."

The dining-hall was rapidly filling. Landis Stoner and Min Kean came in
among the last, the former taking her place at Miss Cresswell's table,
sitting beside Elizabeth.

"Why, Anna Cresswell," she exclaimed, leaning forward, "did Miss Morgan
put you at the head of the table?"

"How else should I be here? You surely did not think I came unasked."

"Oh, no, I spoke without thinking. Of course, you would not come unless
she asked you to do so. I was surprised, that was all."

"Why surprised? You know I am a Senior, and it is customary to give them
the head."

"Oh, yes, of course. But there are Seniors who haven't been given the
head. That is what made me speak."

Miss Cresswell turned the conversation to other subjects. Elizabeth was
the only new student at the table. She felt that some reason other than
the one given had caused Miss Stoner to speak as she had. It was not until
some days later that she learned that Landis was a Senior. She learned,
too, that the girl was ambitious to be first, even in so slight a thing as
sitting at the head of a table and playing hostess to five girls,
generally of under classes.

"Are you on the second floor again this year, Landis?" asked a little
pink-and-white, china-doll girl from the foot of the table.

"Yes, Mame. Min and I have the same rooms as before. The third time is the
charm. I presume something good will happen this year."

"Perhaps Min will get through the preliminaries," was the rejoinder. "She
won't pull through from any effort she makes herself. If her friends wish
to see her graduate, they will be compelled to resort to something. Get
her to pick four-leafed clovers and wear them in the toe of her shoe,
possibly. That has been known to work where all else fails."

Landis looked serious at the jest. Her manner grew quite self-assertive as
she replied, as though expressing herself quite settled the question. Yet
throughout there was an assumed self-deprecatory air, as though she would
not have her hearers think she was either maligning her friend or lauding
herself too highly in the comparison suggested in her speech.

"Don't blame Min too much. Some work which would be possible for you or
me, is impossible for her. I did not realize until we roomed together what
a difference there can be in--in--minds. I could not have believed that
any one would consider a theorem or a page of French difficult. But," with
an arch glance,