at the house afforded. Then bringing her brushes from her
own room, she and Marian made themselves comfortable, visiting far into
the night.

"I wonder," said Linda, "if Peter Morrison will go to a real estate man
in the morning and look over the locations remaining in Lilac Valley."

"Yes, I think he will," said Marian conclusively.

"It seems to me," said Linda, "that we did a whole lot of talking about
homes tonight; which reminds me, Marian, in packing have you put in your
plans? Have you got your last draft with you?"

"No," answered Marian, "it's in one of the cases. I haven't anything but
two or three pencil sketches from which I drew the final plans as I now
think I'll submit them for the contest. Wouldn't it be a tall feather in
my cap, Linda, if by any chance l I should win that prize?"

"It would be more than a feather," said Linda. "It would be a whole cap,
and a coat to wear with it, and a dress to match the coat, and slippers
to match the dress, and so forth just like 'The House That Jack Built.'
Have you those sketches, Marian?"

Opening her case, Marian slid from underneath the garments folded in it,
several sheets on which were roughly penciled sketches of the exterior
of a house--on the reverse, the upstairs and downstairs floor plans; and
sitting down, she explained these to Linda. Then she left them lying
on a table, waiting to be returned to her case before she replaced her
clothes in the morning. Both girls were fast asleep when a mischievous
wind slipped down the valley, and lightly lifting the top sheet, carried
it through the window, across the garden, and dropped it at the foot of
a honey-dripping loquat.

Because they had talked until late in the night of Marian's plans and
prospects in the city, of Peter Morrison's proposed residence in the
valley, of how lonely Linda would be without Marian, of everything
concerning their lives except the change in Eileen and John Gilman, the
two girls slept until late in the morning, so that there were but a few
minutes remaining in which Marian might dress, have a hasty breakfast
and make her train. In helping her, it fell to Linda to pack Marian's
case. She put the drawings she found on the table in the bottom, the
clothing and brushes on top of them, and closing the case, carried it
herself until she delivered it into the porter's hands as Marian boarded
her train.

CHAPTER IV. Linda Starts a Revolution

The last glimpse Marian Thorne had o