e and
smiled pleasantly. "I'm sorry to say that I haven't studied," she said.

Betty thanked her, feeling more pleased at the apparent harmony of the
household than she had been with all her flowers. It was so difficult to
like Eleanor and Rachel and Katherine and Helen, all four, so well, when
Rachel and Katherine had good reason for disliking Eleanor, and Helen
wouldn't hitch with any of the rest.

"Do you know that Prexy had forbidden sliding on dust-pans?" asked Mary
Rich in the awkward pause that followed.

"Oh, yes," added Mary Brooks, "I forgot to tell you. So it's just as
well that I lost mine in the shuffle."

"But I'm sorry to have been the one to stop the fun," said Betty sadly.

"Oh, it wasn't wholly that. Two other girls banged into each other after
we left."

"But you're the famous one," added Rachel, "because you knocked over
Miss Ferris. She looked so funny and knowing when Prexy announced it in
chapel."

"I wish I could do something for you too," said Helen timidly, after the
rest had drifted out of the room.

"Why you have," Betty assured her. "You helped a lot both times the
doctor came, and you've stayed out of the room whenever I wanted to
sleep, and brought up all my meals, and written home for me."

Helen flushed. "That's nothing. I meant something pretty like those,"
and she pointed to the tableful of flowers, and then going over to it
buried her face in the bowl of English violets.

Betty watched her for a moment with a vague feeling of pity. "I don't
suppose she has ten cents a month to spend on such things," she thought,
"and as for having them sent to her----" Then she said aloud, "We
certainly don't need any more of those at present. Were you going to the
basket-ball game?"

"I thought I would, if you didn't want me."

"Not a bit, and you're to wear some violets--a nice big bunch. Hand me
the bowl, please, and I'll tie them up."

Helen gave a little gasp of pleasure. Then her face clouded. "But I
couldn't take your violets," she added quickly.

Betty laughed and went on tying up the bunch, only making it bigger than
she had at first intended. After Helen had gone she cried just a little.
"I don't believe she ever had any violets before," she said to the green
lizard. "Why, her eyes were like stars--she was positively pretty."

More than one person noticed the happy little girl who sat quite alone
in the running track, dividing her eager attention between the game and
the v