of the evening's amusement she could get no certain information. They
laughed, evaded direct answers, made allusions to things she did not
understand, and whisked away like will-o'-the-wisps. Very much puzzled,
and not altogether pleased, she sought her buddy.

"They've all gone mad," she assured Lorna. "I can't get a word of sense
out of Peachy; Esther was almost nasty, and Jess shut the door in my
face. What's the matter with them? Have I developed spots or a squint?
Why have I suddenly become a leper?"

Lorna, who was busy with French translation, shut her dictionary with a
bang.

"I've no patience with them," she groused. "It's because you're English.
I suppose we shall have to get up a stunt of our own, just out of
retaliation, but I'm sick of the whole business."

"What _do_ you mean?"

"Why, it's become a sort of custom to make this a nationality night. The
American girls all band together, and so do the South Africans and the
Australians; and the Scotch girls are a _tremendous_ clique of their
own. They play jokes on every one else, and sometimes it almost gets to
fighting."

"Between the sororities?"

"Sororities are forgotten for the time being. Your dearest chum in the
Camellia Buds will turn against you if it's a question of Scotch or
English, or American or British. I advise you to put away everything you
value. The South Africans came into my cubicle last year and smeared my
cold cream over my pillow. Of course your bed will be filled with
brushes and boots, and any hard oddments they can find lying about. You
won't be able to find anything in the morning. The place is an absolute
muddle."

"How horrid!"

"Yes, it is horrid. I can't see the fun of it, myself. Practical jokes
can go too far, in my opinion, and some of those juniors get so rough
they hurt each other. I'd keep out of it only it's wise to stay and
defend your own cubicle, or you'd find your blanket hidden and your soap
gone."

"Do the seniors join in?"

"No. They barricade themselves in their bedrooms and have some private
fun, but they leave us to do as we like. It's the Transition and juniors
who play the tricks. Of course, the seniors must know what's going on,
because they used to do the same themselves, but they just shut their
eyes."

"Oh," said Irene thoughtfully. "And because a thing has always been must
it always be? Can't it ever be altered? Are we _bound_ to do nothing but
play tricks on the last night of March?"