ation, for the various afternoon trains
were to bring to them their Semper Fidelis comrades. It had all begun
with Elfreda's and Mabel Ashe's promises to spend Thanksgiving at
Harlowe House. Then Elfreda had persuaded Arline Thayer, whom she saw
frequently in New York, to join them. Arline had written to Ruth, who
had come on to New York for a long visit to her chum in time to swell
the band. Elfreda had promptly written Grace that if she would see that
Miriam and Anne put in an appearance at the proper moment, the Briggs
Helping Hand Society would guarantee that the other members should
appear at Overton on the appointed day.

"Elfreda has taken rather a large contract on her hands," Grace had said
to Emma, on receiving the letter. "She evidently knows what she's doing,
so I had better write to Miriam and Anne."

Miriam's promise to come had been easily obtained, but Anne was not sure
of attending the Semper Fidelis reunion, until the week before
Thanksgiving, when Everett Southard, who was then playing in
Shakespearian repertoire in New York, obligingly arranged to give the
"Taming of the Shrew" on the day before Thanksgiving, and "King Richard
III" on Thanksgiving Day. As Anne did not appear in either play, her
Thanksgiving freedom was assured.

And now the great day had dawned at last! There were to be recitations
in the morning, but college would close at noon, not to reopen until the
following Monday. The Semper Fidelis girls were to be Elfreda's guests
at Vinton's that night at a six o'clock dinner. On Thanksgiving morning
they were to breakfast at the Tourraine as the guests of Ruth and
Arline. Thanksgiving dinner at Martell's was to be Anne's and Miriam's
part of the celebration, while Thanksgiving night Emma and Grace were to
be hostesses at Vinton's, their favorite rendezvous.

Grace would have dearly loved to be hostess at the Thanksgiving dinner,
but she felt that her duty lay with her household. She wondered whether
it would be really right for her to remain away from Harlowe House for
so many meals. After long and earnest discussion, she and Emma had
arranged that she would give up eating Thanksgiving dinner with her
friends, while Emma cheerfully agreed to preside at the Harlowe House
breakfast table on Thanksgiving morning. It was decided that Louise
Sampson, of whom Grace had grown extremely fond, was the best possible
person to leave in charge during their absence on Thanksgiving night,
for neithe