ometimes happens in a
crowded, busy, selfish community, she has been overlooked and left
behind. Harriet has never seemed to adjust herself so readily as most
girls; and I fear that the poor child is often very lonely. It would be
highly gratifying to me if you would make an effort to be friendly with
her. I am sure that she will meet your advances half way."

Patty murmured a few polite phrases and retired to dress for dinner,
stubbornly resolved to be as distant with Harriet as possible. Her
friendship was not a commodity to be bought with tea and buttered toast.

The three girls had dinner alone at a little candle-lit table set in a
corner of the dining-room, while the four teachers occupied a
conveniently distant table in the opposite corner.

Patty commenced the meal by being as monosyllabic as possible; but it
was not her natural attitude toward the world, and by the time the veal
had arrived (it was Wednesday night) she was laughing whole-heartedly at
Kid's ingenuous conversation. Miss McCoy's vocabulary was rich in the
vernacular of the plains, and in vacation she let herself go. During
term time she was forced to curb her discourse, owing to the penny tax
on slang. Otherwise, her entire allowance would have gone to swell the
public coffers.

It was a relief to let dinner-table conversation flow where it listed;
usually, with a teacher in attendance and the route marked out, there
was a cramped formality about the meal. French conversation was supposed
to occupy the first three courses five nights in the week, and every
girl must contribute at least two remarks. It cannot be said that on
French nights the dining-room was garrulous. Saturday night was devoted
to a discussion (in English) of current events, gleaned from a study of
the editorials in the morning paper. Nobody at St. Ursula's had much
time for editorials, and even on an English Saturday conversation
languished. But the school made up for it on Sunday. This day, being
_festa_, they could talk about anything they chose; and sixty-four
magpies chattering their utmost, would have been silence in comparison
to St. Ursula's at dinner time on Sunday.

* * * * *

The four days preceding Christmas passed with unexpected swiftness. A
snow-storm marked the first, followed by three days of glistening
sunshine. Martin got out the bobs, and the girls piled in and rode to
the wood-lot for evergreens. There were many errands in t