s far from early," remarked Elfreda in a suggestive tone, as they
halted for a moment at the head of the stairs, "but we are all here, and
I know how to make fruit punch. In fact, I got the stuff ready, thinking
that it might be useful!"

"We will be in your room within the next ten minutes," said Grace
decisively. "Such hospitality is not met with every day."

True to her word, ten minutes later she and Anne were seated on the foot
of Elfreda's bed, kimono clad and smiling, while Elfreda labored with
the fruit punch. Kathleen West and Patience Eliot, who had also been
invited to the punch party, were seated on cushions on the floor.

Suddenly the soft tinkle of a mandolin sounded under the window, then a
chorus of fresh young voices sang softly:

"Come, tune your lyre to Kathleen West,
Of all the plays hers is the best;
Long may she shine, long may she wave,
Her shrine we deck with garlands brave;
May Fortune bring her world renown--
To Kathleen West, girls, drink her down."

"How perfectly sweet in them!" exclaimed Kathleen, her color rising.

"Hush!" Miriam held up her finger.

"Dear Loyalheart, we sing to you,
O girl so brave and sweet and true,
May life to you be wondrous kind,
And may you all its treasures find;
May skies ne'er threaten you, nor frown--
To Loyalheart, girls, drink her down."

Owing to the lateness of the play no one at Wayne Hall had had time to
retire, and, hearing the music, the girls had with one accord hurried to
the windows.

"Come on up, Gertrude," called Grace into the soft darkness. "I know
your voice. How on earth did you get out of your costume, go home for
your mandolin and manage to land under Miriam's and Elfreda's window,
all within half an hour?"

"That's easy. We brought our instruments of torture with us to the play,
and Elfreda agreed to have you girls in her room at the time appointed."

"There is fruit punch enough to go round, and dozens of cakes," observed
an ingratiating voice over Grace's shoulder.

"We had several more verses to sing, and one for you, Elfreda. If you
will ask Mrs. Elwood's permission, we will come up, sing them and
incidentally sample the punch and the cakes," stipulated Gertrude.

There were seven girls in the party of serenaders--Gertrude, Arline,
Ruth Denton, the Emerson twins, Elizabeth Wade and Marian Cummings. When
the last cake had disappeared and the punch was almost gone, the
seren