ried and true,
No laurel crowns may weave.
The magic circle broken is,
For Kathleen fair we grieve."

After which, Amy led a procession of solemn-visaged, sombre-clad academic
maidens, who approached the divan where Kit sat, and each presented her
with some sage advice, in couplets. Amy explained later that she got the
idea from Sargent's "Gifts of the Hours."

"Although, if it had been summer time, we would have tried to make it more
like Tennyson's 'Princess,' but I think this carries the idea all right.
Norma wrote the couplets, and they almost have a prophetic note. Don't you
think so, Kit?"

Kit agreed that they did, and long afterwards, up in the old cupola
council room, she read them aloud to Helen and some of the Gilead girls.
One in particular rather hit her fancy, because Kit hated early rising.

"Rise, sweet maid, when the cock is crowing,
If Fortune's bugles you'd be blowing."

The Saturday before they left was Kit's day for entertaining. Miss Daphne
took the keenest delight in making it a success. There was a luncheon at
one, followed by a whole afternoon of entertaining. Even the Dean emerged
from his sanctum to mingle a little, and the "Jinx" declared she had never
seen him so human before. He brought out the royal statuette of Annui and
even the sacred memorial urn to show the girls. As Miss Daphne said
afterwards, this showed what a friendly, benign mood he was in.

Kit was standing on the outskirts of the group around the old grand piano,
where he had placed both antiques, when she suddenly saw, through the long
French windows, Marcelle Beaubien coming up the drive. The Dean was deep
in a happy, explanatory speech and she slipped away unnoticed by the rest.

"It was awfully nice of you to come, Marcelle," she exclaimed. "I've been
watching for you ever since lunch. Why didn't you come earlier?"

"But I am early," smiled Marcelle. "It is only about three o'clock.
Generally, I have to stay in all day Saturday, and give the boys a chance
to go out. Will you write to me when you are away?"

"I'd love to. You know it's a queer thing, Marcelle, but really and
truly, out of all the girls I have met here I feel better acquainted with
you than with any of them."

Kit said this rather slowly, as if it were a sort of self-revelation which
she had just discovered that minute. And yet it was true. She had enjoyed
the class friendships at Hope immensely, but Marcelle had seemed