odeling
room's open, and you can always see the antique."

"Let's look them over then," returned David, promptly. "We aren't keen
on antiques--got too many in our boarding-house, but we want to see
what you've been up to, Miss, so lead on. Tommy here does not care
much for female pursuits, but he'll have to put up with it for once."

"Female!" cried Patricia. "I like that! There are as many men as
there are girls, aren't there, Elinor? You're shockingly ignorant,
young man."

They started off, leaving Tom Hughes and Elinor to follow, and Judith,
as she cast a searching backward glance at David's chum, whispered to
Patricia that he must be very nice and sociable for he seemed just as
much at home with Elinor as if she'd been another boy.

"Think he'll do for that future helpmeet you're expecting to turn up
any old day, Judy?" Patricia mischievously whispered back.

"_Patricia_, he'll hear you!" gasped the scandalized Judith.

"What are you two mumbling about?" demanded David, shouldering his way
through the assembly at the station door. "No fair talking secrets
today. I've got to be in everything that's going on. 'Fess up now,
Judy, you were complaining that Tommy's nose was too long for the hero
of your next novel, weren't you?"

"I never said a word about his nose," cried Judith, relieved to evade
the real topic. "I'd be more polite than to criticize his linny-ments
like that."

Patricia joined in David's peal of laughter. "Shades of Hannah Ann
defend us!" she cried, gayly. "Don't spring any more bombs like that
on us, Infant. We've got to last till lunch time, anyway."

"Lunch time!" repeated David, warmly. "I'm aiming to survive till at
least five minutes after! Think of all the good things we're going to
massacre. Where does Elinor want to go, Miss Pat? She didn't nominate
it in her note!"

"We all want to go to the same place we had such fun in last spring,
when we thought we were so rich," said Judith quickly. "Elinor said
you were to have first choice, though, as it was your treat."

"Litz-Tarlton, wasn't it?" asked David. "O.K. for me, and Tommy is a
good-natured brute, who doesn't care where he feeds, so that he feeds."

They found the usual array of aproned students in the corridors and
work rooms, and although the boys tried to be enthusiastic it was plain
that the famous Academy did not appeal to them very strongly.

"Pretty smelly sort of a place, isn't it?" said Tom Hughes