hink about the beauty around them, but they
enjoyed it nevertheless. What a good time they had! They waltzed--those
who could--and they "cracked the whip," and they hummed the tunes the
Italian was industriously grinding out, and they laughed and shouted and
were perfectly happy. Judith had three "bands" with Nancy, and two with
Catherine who looked exquisitely lovely, and what more could heart
desire? Indeed, as she and Nancy drank their third cup of cocoa and
divided the last piece of chocolate cake, she agreed enthusiastically
that she had never had such a "perfectly gorgeous time in all her born
days!"

The fine cold weather lasted for almost six weeks, and then quite
suddenly came an unmistakable thaw.

"If only it had come in January," sighed Miss Evans as she surveyed the
dirty pond, which had once been a rink, "but it is too late in the
season now to hope for steady skating again."

She was justified in her pessimism; the skating season was over. Every
girl in the School regarded the dull weather almost as a personal
insult, and every teacher in the School realized that the most difficult
weeks of the year had now to be faced, for unless precautions were
taken, sickness and mischief were bound to flourish in this
in-between-seasons time. Wise Miss Meredith marshalled her forces and
took counsel with the Heads of Houses; the gymnasium staff put on extra
dancing classes, and indoor basket-ball matches, but in spite of all
their efforts many of the girls seemed languid and uninterested.

Nancy, who seemed to hear more news than her mates in the "Jolly Susan,"
burst into Judith's room late next afternoon during the dressing hour.

"What do you think? Genevieve Singleton got an anonymous letter in the
evening mail and she is upstairs now crying in her room."

"An anonymous letter," repeated Josephine from the next room. "I'd like
to know what sort?--"

"Yes," said Nancy excitedly, paying no attention to Josephine, "nobody
knows who wrote it, and it was about Catherine." She paused to enjoy the
full effect of this mysterious bit of gossip.

Judith, whose hair was only half-done, put down her brush and demanded
impatiently--

"What about Catherine?"

"Well, you know very well, Judy, that Genevieve has a crush on
Catherine. Why, Cathy had fairly to put her out of her room the other
day, and on Wednesday evening, when we were dancing after evening prep.,
I heard her tell Genevieve that she wouldn't dance with