red around the fire, Nancy and Alma settling cross-legged
on the floor, and immediately opening a disastrous attack on the plate
of chocolate cake--Hannah's prize contribution to this farewell feast.

"This time to-morrow night we'll probably be regaling ourselves on
baked beans and cold rice-pudding," added Alma, cramming chocolate cake
into her mouth like a greedy child. "That's an awful thought."

"Now, miss, ye don't suppose they'll be feedin' ye bad," exclaimed
Hannah in great concern. The old woman had taken her stand
respectfully near the doorway, loath to lose the last few glimpses of
her adored young mistresses. "If ye think that now, I can send ye a
box of jellies and the like any time ye say."

"Well, they'll probably give us something more than bread and
water--but not much," replied Nancy, seriously. "They don't believe in
giving students much to eat, because it hampers their brains."

"Is that so, now?" marvelled Hannah.

"It is indeed--it's a scientific fact, Hannah. When we come back for
the Christmas holidays, we'll probably be so pale and wan that we won't
even cast a shadow. But goodness, how clever we'll be."

"I'm a great believer in good feedin'," commented Hannah dubiously.
"And I don't cotton much to scientifics, if you'll pardon me, miss.
Lord, what an empty house 'twill be without ye."

"I hope you aren't insinuating that we take up much room," laughed
Nancy; she was teasing Hannah to cover up her own growing sensation of
homesickness and uneasiness. "Take good care of Mother, Hannah, and
don't let her go out without her rubbers on, and--and make her write to
us every single day. It's ridiculous, I suppose, to talk as if we were
going twelve hundred instead of twelve miles, but we've never been even
twelve miles away from home before."

"Yes, and there's nothing like seeing something of the world to broaden
a person," observed Alma, sagely. "When I'm grown up, I shall
certainly travel. I intend to make a tour of the world. Egypt
especially--goodness, I'd like to go to Egypt. That Edith Palliser was
a lucky girl--her guardian took her to Paris and Rome and Cairo and
even to Algiers, and she met all kinds of interesting people--a Spanish
prince and a Russian count, and loads of artists and writers and
things. I'm afraid that we must be terribly provincial."

"Ah, now, don't say that," remonstrated Hannah, who had no idea what
"provincial" meant, and was consequently convince