hanging over the doors, grew clinging, bright green ivy.

A smooth velvety lawn sloped down straight to the water, and the girls
cried out at this, their first glimpse of Lake Molata. Through the
trees, the water of the lake glistened and shimmered and danced while
the soft rippling sound of tiny wavelets lapping at the bank seemed to
call to them invitingly.

"Oh, g-girls, it's lovelier even than we pictured it!" cried Laura,
stammering in her eagerness. "Aren't you just c-crazy to get out on that
water?"

"Yes. But look!" cried Billie, grasping her arm and pointing to the
front door of Three Towers Hall. "There's the president, I suppose,
waiting to welcome us."

For in the doorway was standing a slender figure in white, evidently
waiting, as Billie had said, to welcome the girls to Three Towers Hall.

Other girls had noticed her, too, and as the attendant came around and
opened the door, they all scrambled down in a flurry of excitement.

"It's Miss Walters," the whisper went around, and Billie felt a thrill
of excitement.

"Miss Walters!" Always she had seemed to Billie a person to be looked up
to--a sort of goddess set apart from ordinary mortals. For Miss Sara
Walters had been head of Three Towers Hall for a number of
years--always, it seemed to Billie. And now Billie was actually going to
see her, talk to her, perhaps even make her take notice of her, Billie,
above the others!

As she rather breathlessly ascended the steps to the entrance of Three
Towers with the other girls she studied this slim, straight woman who
had been the heroine of so many of her day dreams.

And what she saw satisfied even Billie.

Miss Walters was only thirty-five, but her hair was snow white and
framed her face in thick wavy masses. Her complexion was pink and white,
and her dark violet eyes looked almost black under their dark lashes.
And her figure was that of a girl of twenty.

"Isn't she wonderful?" Vi whispered in her ear; but Billie squeezed her
arm warningly.

"Sh-h," she said. "She might hear us."

"I wouldn't care if she did," said Violet with unusual spirit, and in
her heart Billie could not blame her.

A moment more and Miss Walters was speaking to them, saying a few words
to each of them, welcoming them to Three Towers Hall.

Then she turned and led the way into the building, the girls crowding
after her eagerly.

"And her voice," said Billie, adoringly in Laura's ear, "is the very
sweetest part of her!