hat by the end of the
week the knot of friendship between them had been firmly tied.

From the moment of Kathleen West's discovery that her roommate was fast
becoming friendly with the very girls she affected to despise, she
adopted an aggressive manner toward the New England girl which the
latter was quick to perceive and tactfully ignore. Patience had an
unusually keen insight into character, and she had made up her mind not
to get beyond the point of exchanging common civilities with the
disgruntled young woman who seemed determined to go through college with
her eyes tightly closed to her own interests.

That the newspaper girl possessed a fondness for study and never
neglected her lessons was a point in her favor, in Patience's eyes. As
the daughter of a well-known man of letters she had inherited her
father's love of study and an appreciation of that same love in others.
She frequently smiled at the clever, caustic remarks the strange, moody
girl was wont to make about everything and everybody, and occasionally
she surprised even Kathleen herself by her ready appreciation of the
themes the latter wrote.

It was several weeks before the two young women even became accustomed
to each other. During that time Kathleen learned that Patience was proof
against her aggressiveness, and not half so narrow-minded as she had
thought; while Patience discovered, to her dismay, that in spite of
Kathleen's undoubted wit and brilliancy, she disliked her rather more,
if anything, than on first acquaintance.

"I feel quite conscience-stricken over it," she confided to Grace one
afternoon as they started down College Street for a short walk before
dinner. "I wouldn't tell any one else, Grace, but I simply can't like
Miss West. I've tried, and I can't. I am equally sure she doesn't like
me. Imagine us sharing the intimacy of one room, and at the same time
disliking each other cordially. I suppose there isn't the slightest
chance for me to make a change this year. Besides, I don't wish to leave
Wayne Hall."

"Oh, you mustn't think of leaving Wayne Hall!" exclaimed Grace in
dismay. "I am so sorry about Miss West. She is a peculiar girl. None of
the girls here pretend to understand her. When first she came here as a
freshman she was friendly enough with us. Then something occurred for
which we were not to blame, or rather, we did not know that Miss West
considered us at fault," corrected Grace conscientiously. "At any rate,
she sud