able or
polite_?' To this question, in this college of Newnham, there can,
ladies, be but one reply--and the wretched hostess sits on the coal-box
and gives her visitor the chair. After long hours of mental toil, after
the physical strain of the hockey-field, a quiet hour is vouchsafed
beside her own fireside, with the companionship of a beloved friend to
soothe and cheer, and that hour, ladies--that precious hour--I say it
with emotion almost too strong for words--that stolen hour of peace and
rest must needs be passed--_on the coal-box_! Ladies, I need say no
more. The remedy is in your own hands."

So on, and so on. After the chairs came curtains; after the curtains,
bookcases, ornaments, and books. The auction flowed on, punctuated by
explosions of laughter, until the last item on the "catalogue" was
reached, and the auctioneer was crimson with exhaustion.

Darsie and Hannah had amassed between them quite a stock of furnishings.
A screen apiece, chairs, Oriental window-curtains in stripes of
contrasting colours warm and comfortable to look upon, flower-pots, and
odd pictures and ornaments. One felt a proprietor, indeed, as one
looked over the spoils, and the inroads into capital had been agreeably
small. Darsie was folding up her damaged "spread" when a voice spoke in
her ear, and with a little jump of the heart she looked up to find
Margaret France standing by her side.

"How do you do? I must thank you for your patronage. You chipped in
nobly. Hope you'll like 'em, when you've got 'em. Just up, aren't you?
What's your shop?"

For a moment Darsie stared blankly, then a flash of intuition revealed
the meaning of the word.

"Modern languages."

"Good! So'm I. And your friend?"

"Mathematics."

"Humph! Well, good luck! I'm off to bed. We shall meet on the
Rialto!"

She smiled, nodded, and was gone. With a sudden realisation of their
own fatigue the Freshers turned to follow her example. Helen Ross
joined them on their way along the corridors, and Darsie could not
resist expressing her appreciation of the auctioneer's wit.

"She was delicious. I _have_ enjoyed it. She _is_ amusing and clever."

"Think so?" said Helen coolly. "Really? Glad you were pleased. It's
usually _far_ better than that!"

With a curt good-night she turned into her own room, and the two friends
made haste to follow her example.

The banked-up fires burned warm and red; the scattered oddments had been
hidde