raperies about her
and fled down the hall.

The day passed delightfully, with morning service at the famous Dr.
Arnold's stately church, a specially sociable dinner at home, and a
'bus ride through the crisp sunshine of the afternoon into the snowy
outskirts, with a cozy little tea in Miss Jinny's big front room, where
they could watch the twilight gather among the bare trees of the park
and the lamps sparkle out among the shadows. After supper Mr. Spicer
invited them in to see his collection of photographs which he had taken
in all parts of the civilized and barbarous world, before the long
illness, contracted in the swamps of West Africa, had put a stop to his
active, adventurous life as a collector for the University.

The girls enjoyed this surprising revelation of the quiet, elderly
gentleman's vigorous taste, but Miss Jinny fairly reveled in such close
contact with the life she so ardently envied, and it was nearly
midnight when they said good-night and hurried to their rooms, Miss
Jinny declaring that she'd never spent such a satisfactory day in her
life, and all three full of the ideas for their costumes which Mr.
Spicer's photographs had suggested to them.

The week that followed flew on winged feet. The costumes, simple
enough at first, grew in detail with every day and absorbed so much of
their spare time that Patricia frankly gave up any thought of work and
yielded herself to the enjoyment of Miss Jinny and the day's pleasure
without any effort at serious work.

"The best thing about you, Miss Pat," said Elinor, the day before the
party, "is that you know when to stop. I simply haven't accomplished a
thing the last two days, and yet I couldn't have the courage to shirk
the Academy. You stay away joyously, and get the full benefit."

"Why not?" returned Patricia, her fingers busy with Sinbad's girdle.
"You can't do two things at once, to do them well. I'm commonplace
enough to realize that, but you geniuses go on trying to tear
yourselves into little pieces, and then howl because you aren't making
masterpieces in every department."

"I know it," said Elinor, sinking wearily into a chair. "I've tried to
keep up with you all at home here, and do my work, too, but it hasn't
worked. I believe I'll stay home today and take a real holiday."

Patricia nodded. "You'll be in better shape to begin on the library
design next week," she said briskly. "I'm not going to start my study
till I feel just like