camping in June, and I can't get him off it. If you've any little
tricks of persuasiveness all your own now's your time to try 'em on him.
He'll spoil the whole thing."

"Write your brother Lansing to tell Jeff to put it off on his account,"
suggested Evelyn.

"That won't do, unfortunately, for Lanse has been uncertain about going
all the time."

"I'll try to think of something," promised Evelyn.

She had a chance before the day was over. Jeff appeared, late in the
afternoon, and invited her to take a walk with him.

"I'll tell you what I want," he said, as they went along. "Let's go down
by the old bridge at the pond, and if there's nobody about I'd like to
have you do me the favour of listening while I spout my class-day
oration. Would you mind?"

"I shall be delighted," answered Evelyn, and this program was carried
out accordingly. Down behind the willows Jeff mounted a prostrate log
and gave vent to a vigorous and sincere discourse.

"Splendid!" cried his audience, as he finished. "If you do it half as
well as that it will be a great success."

"Glad you think so." Jeff descended from the log with a flushed brow and
an air of relief. "I'm not the fellow for class orator, I know, but I'm
it, and I don't want to disgrace the crowd. Pretty down here, isn't it?"

"Beautiful. It makes me very blue to think of leaving it--as if I
oughtn't to be simply thankful I could be here so long. It was lovely of
your sister and brother to insist on my staying when my brother Thorne
had to go to Japan so suddenly."

"You're not going soon?" Jeff looked dismayed.

"Two weeks after your Commencement," said Evelyn. "My brother's ship
should be in port by the last of June, and I want to surprise him by
being at home when he reaches there. I shall leave here the minute he
gets into San Francisco."

"Oh, that's too bad. I'd forgotten there was any such thing as your
going away. You seem--why, you seem one of us, you know!" declared Jeff,
as if there could be no stronger bond of union.

"Oh, thank you--it's good of you to say so. You've all been so kind I
can't half tell you how I appreciate it. We'll have to make the most of
June, I think," said Evelyn, smiling rather wistfully, and looking away
across the little pond.

"I should say so. We'll have every sort of lark we can think of the
minute Commencement's--Oh, I was going camping after that--but I'll put
it off. Just was arguing that way only this morning, but I saw no