to stand
out from the rest of the girls as such a distinctly interesting
personality. In a way, she was like Billie, because she loved nature and
all the romance of adventure. There was in her nature the mingling of the
three races, the French, the Indian, and the Scotch, and besides, Kit felt
personally responsible for her success up at Hope. The girls had played
absolutely fair and square, once they had decided to bury the hatchet, and
given the chance, Marcelle herself had justified the opening of doors to
her. As Amy said:

"It doth not behoove us to say a blessed word against Marcelle when she is
racing ahead in all our classes, and plucking honors right and left."

Marcelle smiled at Kit's remark.

"I have heard my grandmother say that in her girlhood her people of the
northern forests pledged their friendships by saying, 'While the grass
grows and the waters run, so long shall we be friends.'" She turned and
smiled at Kit her grave-eyed slow smile. "I will say that to you now,
before you go."

Kit laid one arm around her shoulders.

"Me too," she answered, heartily. "Sounds like the blood brother vow they
used to take."

They went up the steps together and into the long double parlors. The
girls were singing at the piano while Amy played one class song after
another, and the Dean hung broodingly over the urn. Kit thought she had
never seen the house so full of life and happiness, and the look on Miss
Daphne's face was one of positive radiance.

"You know," she said, confidentially to Kit, in a low voice, "after we
return from the east, I have undertaken something that I know will do me
good and the Dean, too. I've just been appointed head of the Junior Red
Cross in Delphi, and the girls will meet here every Saturday. We shall
miss you, Kit, but if it gives you any pleasure, my dear, to know it, I
want to tell you it was your coming which opened my eyes to the folly of
sitting with empty hands while there was work to be done. I don't think I
can ever belong to what the Dean calls 'the rocking-chair squad' again,
without a guilty conscience."

Kit hugged her fervently.

"Oh, but you're a dear, Aunt Daphne, to say such things. I only wish I
could stay right here and be in two places at once. I'll tell you what
I've learned here, organization." Kit said this very firmly and earnestly.
"Back home they always said that I knew just what I wanted to do, but I
didn't know how to do it. Well, I know what I want