"She speaks on anti-suffrage, doesn't she?" asked Edith.

"Oh, yes," cried Margaret. "She is evidently one of those women who
believes she can stem the tide of human progress by taking a stand
against higher education and universal suffrage. Do you think women like
that are ever silent? They are always standing on the street corners
trying to lift their little puny voices above the multitude--but who
hears them?"

There was a burst of laughter at Margaret's eloquence.

"Why not ask her to speak here?" suggested Edith.

"What good would that do?"

"Besides, she wouldn't come."

"Oh, yes she would. Wait until all this blows over and then send her
the invitation. People who write like that always want to talk."

"But how will we get any personal satisfaction out of it?" Margaret
asked.

"Well, by showing her what perfect ladies we are, in the first place. We
can be very attentive and still 'freeze' her. We can entertain her
without talking to her any more than is necessary, and we can listen to
her speech and make no comments."

After consideration of the suggestion, most of the girls began to see a
good many possibilities in this courteous revenge. They were taken with
the notion of inviting Miss Slammer into the enemy's camp and treating
her as a guest too honored to be familiar with. It was agreed that the
invitation should be dispatched in about two weeks, so that Miss Slammer
would feel no suspicions.

CHAPTER VII

A STOLEN VISIT.

One morning not long after the stormy meeting in the _Commune_ room,
Molly, racking her brain over "The Theory of Mathematics," heard Otoyo's
tap at the door. She knew it was the little Japanese. Nobody else could
knock so faintly and still so distinctly.

"Come in," she called, and Otoyo glided in as softly as a mouse.

"You are much busy, Mees Brown?" she asked, retreating toward the door
when she saw Molly bending over her book.

"Oh, I can spare a few moments for a dear little friend any day,"
answered Molly. "What's happened? Nothing wrong, I hope?"

The Japanese girl appeared excited. Her eyes shone with more than their
usual luster and she seemed hardly able to keep back the news she had to
tell.

"No, no, nothing wrong. Something very right. My honorable father is
coming to Wellington to see his humble little daughter. O, I am so
happee!" and Miss Sen executed a few steps of the "Boston," she had
lately learned to dance. Molly watched the plump little