haven’t any mother.”

“Neither have I, Isabel.” The two girls gave each other an understanding look, but Isabel hurried off before any feeling should be displayed. Isabel always declared that she “hated waterworks.” But she had no sooner closed the door than she opened it again.

“I thought I’d tell you, Margaret, that whether the girls like you or not doesn’t depend on your clothes at Greycliff. It’s what you are. Of course we all like pretty clothes, and there is one silly set here that doesn’t think of much else. You can tell ’em by their grades. And you wouldn’t want to belong to that crowd, would you?”

“No, indeed.”

Cathalina was deftly fashioning a placard as Hilary and Lilian entered, and Betty was sitting in a rocking chair by the table, a green shade over her eyes, her elbows on her knees, fists on both sides of her head, and a text book on her lap.

“We stopped a minute to talk to the ‘Y’ president about Saturday night,” said Lilian. “Look at Betty! She has already begun her year’s labors.”

“It’s time,” said Betty without looking up.

“How does this look?” inquired Cathalina, holding up the completed placard.

“Fine,” replied Hilary, reading it aloud. “‘Lakeview. Busy.’ Don’t waste a moment, Cathie, but get it up. Where’s my good old kimono, friend of study hours? Can we keep from talking?”

“Got to,” Betty offered.

“Driving it in with your fists, Betty?” Lilian brazenly looked over Betty’s shoulders, discovered that Betty was studying history, and tiptoed away with pretense of great effort to tread lightly.

Betty, looking out of the corner of her eyes, saw Lilian’s painful limp and giggled.

Cathalina came in from putting up the placard. “I have a suggestion. We’ll all pitch in with all our might till the bell, and then gabble as fast as possible till lights out.”

“Remarkable thought,” said Hilary. “Cathalina proposes that we really study during study hours. All in favor say ‘ay.’ Unanimous.”

Silence descended upon the “inmates,” as they called themselves, of Lakeview Suite on Lakeview Corridor.

 CHAPTER III.GREYCLIFF CLUBS. 

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