t. It will serve as
a library too. That little room just off the hall will make such a
convenient office for me. Imagine me as the head of a college house,
with an office all my own, Elfreda."

"It's a good thing for the house," commented Elfreda. "I hope the girls
that live here will appreciate you, Grace. I hope none of them will be
as silly as J. Elfreda Briggs was."

"Elfreda, how can you?" remonstrated Grace.

"How could I, you mean," flung back Elfreda. "Because I was a spoiled,
selfish ingrate who never stopped to think of any one else's rights."

"Now, now, Elfreda," protested Mrs. Gray.

"Well, I was," insisted Elfreda positively. "It took a whole year to
reduce me to order. I wasn't as hopeless as some of the others. It took
three years to make Alberta Wicks and Mary Hampton real Overton girls,
and two years to instil college spirit into Kathleen West. But Grace
never gave any of us up, even though we treated her so shabbily. That's
why I just said I hoped that the girls would appreciate Grace. I'd hate
to think that some stupid ill-natured freshman, it's more likely to be a
freshman than any one else, would behave like an idiot and spoil her
first year at Harlowe House." There was an expression of anxious concern
on Elfreda's round face.

"Don't worry, Elfreda," reassured Grace, "the students who come to
Harlowe House to live are sure to be nice. Girls who have their own way
to pay through college are usually cheerful and unselfish. They are
anxious to live and willing to let live."

"I don't know about that. Kathleen West wasn't a glaring pattern of
amiability when she entered Overton," reminded Elfreda. "Of course she's
now a brilliant example of what forbearance will accomplish, and you
know that I am very fond of her, but you and I remember what we went
through during the forbearing process."

"Don't croak, J. Elfreda Briggs," admonished Grace lightly, "I don't
imagine that everything will be plain sailing this year. That would be
asking too much. Still I hope I shall not have any serious
misunderstandings with my girls. I'm going to remember my motto,
'Blessed are they that have found their work,' and not shirk anything
that comes within the line of it."

"I guess there isn't the slightest danger of shirking on your part," was
Elfreda's dry retort. "I hope the men that do the unpacking of this
stuff will be imbued with the same spirit. You'd better bring out that
motto and hang it up where the