some other room, I suppose," Marjorie
ventured.

"Uh-huh. Then I'll get her down into the living-room and make her
comfortable in front of the fire----"

"Let us hope it's a cool day," Margaret interjected.

"We'll hope so," agreed Lucile. "We will have plenty of cool days yet,
anyway, before spring sets in in earnest, and maybe the day after
to-morrow will be one of them. I'll get her to sit there, even if it is
warm."

"What then, Lucile?" asked one of the girls. "I have a feeling that the
most interesting part is yet to come."

"It is," said Lucile. "You see, I'll be talking to her so hard that she
won't notice what's going on around her much--that is, if you are
careful. Then you come in, one by one, on your tip-toes and sit in a
semicircle behind her."

"Oh, that will be a lark," cried Evelyn. "And are we to wait till she
finds us out?"

"That's what I was going to tell you," said Lucile. "When you all get
settled, I'll put my hand up to my hair like this, and then you begin to
sing, very softly, 'Oh, fire----'"

"That will be splendid, Lucy; it will seem almost like old times," cried
Margaret. "How did you manage to think it all out so beautifully?"

"Oh, it was simple enough," said Lucile. "The only thing is, do you all
like it?"

Lucile was very well satisfied with the reception of her plan a moment
later. The girls were enthusiastic and overwhelmed her with questions
until she was obliged for the second time that morning, to say, "One at a
time, please."

When, finally, all the arrangements were complete and satisfactory, one
of the girls discovered it was after noon.

"Girls," exclaimed Evelyn, dismayed, "we've used up the whole morning
just talking."

"Why, what time is it?" asked Margaret, feeling for her watch.

"It's twelve fifteen," announced Evelyn, impressively.

"Time I was going home," Marjorie declared, jumping up. "Where's my
hat?"

"It's inside with Evelyn's," Lucile answered. "If I hadn't taken care of
them there would have been nothing left resembling a hat. I'll get
them," she added, and ran into the house.

In a moment she returned with a hat in each hand.

"What did you want to wear them for, anyway?" she said, as they started
off. "You didn't really need them, and just think of all the work you
made me."

"Oh, they just wanted to show them off," laughed Gertrude Church.

"Humph, we know why they pretend to criticize us, don't we Marjorie?"
queried Evelyn, with a kn