f plunged forthwith into such a
turmoil of preparation as drove all thought of the morning's events from
her mind.

Her brothers were overjoyed at the prospect of immediate departure;
Mademoiselle was scarcely less so; and Chris herself, infected by the
general atmosphere of satisfaction, entered into the fun of the thing
with a spirit fully equal to the occasion. The scramble to be ready was
such that not one of the party stopped to breathe during those two hours.
They bolted refreshments while they packed, talking at the tops of their
voices, and thoroughly enjoying the unwonted excitement. Mademoiselle was
more nearly genial than Chris had ever seen her. She did not even scold
her for taking an early dip. At the time Chris was too busy to wonder at
her forbearance; but she discovered the reason later, without the
preliminary of wondering, when she came to know that it was
Mademoiselle's urgent representations at headquarters regarding her own
delinquencies that had impelled this sudden summons.

The thought of meeting her cousin added zest to the situation. Though ten
years her senior, Jack Forest had long been the best chum she had--he was
best chum to a good many people.

Only when by strenuous effort they had managed to catch the one and only
train that could land them at Rennes in time for the Paris express, only
when the cliffs and the dear blue shore where she had idled so many hours
away were finally and completely left behind, did a sudden stab of
realization pierce Chris, while the quick words that her playmate of the
beach had uttered only that morning flashed torch-like through her brain.

Then and only then did she remember him, her _preux chevalier_, her
faithful friend and comrade, whose name she had never heard, whom she had
left without word or thought of farewell.

So crushing was her sense of loss, that for a few seconds she lost touch
with her surroundings, and sat dazed, white-faced, stricken, not so much
as asking herself what could be done. Then one of the boys shouted to her
to come and look at something they were passing, and with an effort she
jerked herself back to normal things.

Having recovered her balance, she managed to maintain a certain show of
indifference during the hours that followed, but she looked back upon
that journey to Paris later as one looks back upon a nightmare. It was
her first acquaintance with suffering in any form.

Jack Forest, big, square, and reliable, was