she was well out of hearing, Patricia
vowed vengeance upon the two girls who had written the provoking legend.

"I'll get even with them!" she said.

"How will you?" Arabella asked.

"I don't know yet, but you'd better believe I'll watch for a chance!"

"I'll watch, too!" cried Arabella.

It was the custom at Glenmore to hold a little informal reception on an
evening of the third week after the school had opened.

Its purpose was to have pupils of all the classes present so that those
who never met in the recitation-rooms might become acquainted.

When the announcement appeared upon the bulletin board it caused a
flurry of excitement.

Dorothy and Nancy had already found new friends, and were eager to meet
others whose agreeable ways had interested them.

"It's such a pleasant place," Dorothy said one morning as she stood
brushing her hair, "and so many pleasant faces in the big class-room. I
saw at least a dozen I'd like to know, when we were having the morning
exercises, and there's ever so many more that we have yet to meet."

"And Tuesday evening is sure to be jolly. There'll be a crowd to talk
with, and one of the girls told me to-day that there's almost sure to be
some music, either vocal or instrumental, and she said that last year
they often had fine readers at the receptions," Nancy concluded.

They were on their way to the class-room, when Patricia and Arabella
joined them.

"Is the social to be a dressy affair?" Patricia asked, adding: "I hope
it is, because _I_ shall be dressy, whether any one else is or not."

They had reached the class-room door so that there was no time for
either Dorothy or Nancy to reply to the silly remark if they had cared
to do so.

* * * * *

At eight o'clock nearly all the pupils had assembled in the big
reception-room, and the hum of voices told that each was doing her best
to outdo her neighbor. Near the center of the room a group of girls
stood talking. It was evident that the theme of their conversation was
not engrossing, for twice their leader, Betty Chase, had replied at
random while her eyes roved toward the door, and Valerie Dare remarked
that her chum had been reading such a romantic story, that she was
eagerly looking for a knight in full armor to appear.

"Be still!" cried Betty. "You know very well what I'm looking for."

"I do indeed," Valerie admitted. "Say, girls! You all know the two that
are always together, the