out eight o'clock, and Eva
tactfully producing a box of nut chocolates, a confection of which
Marian was very fond, the two girls seated themselves in the Allen's
cozy sitting room, with the box on a taboret between them.

Marian became more like her old self again, and the two girls were
laughing merrily over the antics of Eva's Angora kitten when the
doorbell rang, and Eva, looking rather conscious, went to the door.

At the sound of girlish voices, Marian rose, a look of intense annoyance
on her face, which deepened as the Phi Sigma Tau trooped into the room,
and laughingly surrounded her.

"How are you, Marian?" they cried. "You wouldn't come to us, so we
planned a little surprise."

"So I see," replied Marian stiffly. "I am sorry, but I really must go,
Eva. You should have told me that the girls were coming."

"Why, Marian Barber, what are you talking about?" asked Nora O'Malley in
pretended surprise. "Why should you run away from the members of your
own sorority?"

Marian did not answer, but half tried to free herself from the detaining
hands of her friends. For a moment her expression softened, then she
tossed her head and said, "Let me go, please."

"Marian," said Grace bluntly, "you have been acting very strangely
toward us since we came back from the house party, and we don't
understand it. You have stayed away from two sorority meetings and have
deliberately avoided all of us, with the exception of Eva. We feel badly
over it, because we have always liked you, and because you are a Phi
Sigma Tau."

"Yes, Marian," interrupted Jessica, "have you forgotten the solemn
initiation rites that were conducted at my house last year?"

"No," Marian admitted, smiling a little.

"Then listen, while Anne, who speaks more impressive English than the
rest of us, tells you why we have thus entrapped you and used Eva for a
bait. Speechify, Anne, and we will put in the applause at the proper
intervals."

"Marian," began Anne, "Grace has already told you how kindly our feeling
is for you, and the reason that we tried to see you to-night is because
of something that I spoke of to Grace yesterday. I had noticed that you
were having trouble in your astronomy recitations, and, of course, we
all know that you must pass in all your subjects, both now and in June,
in order to graduate; so I suggested that as the other girls have all
passed in astronomy, we might take turns in coaching you. An hour or so
of review every nig