heories about intellectual
women," said mother. "So suppose you take up the suit case and escort us
home."

The next morning a note arrived from Eleanor.

"DEAREST BETTY," it ran:

"As you always seem to be just around the corner when I get into a box,
I want to tell you that I rode down to New York with Miss Hale. She
asked me to sit with her and I couldn't well refuse, though I wanted to
badly enough. She knew, Betty, but she will never tell. She said she was
glad to know me on your account. She asked me how the term had gone with
me, and I blushed and stammered and said that I was coming back in a
different spirit. She said that college was the finest place in the
world for a girl to get acquainted with herself--that cowardice and
weakness of purpose and meanness and pettiness stood out so clearly
against the background of fineness and squareness; and that four years
was long enough to see all sorts of faults in oneself, and change them
according to one's new theories. As she said it, it didn't sound a bit
like preaching.

"I didn't tell her that I was only in college for one year. I sent her a
big bunch of violets to-day--she surely couldn't regard it as a bribe
now--and after Christmas I'll try to show her that I'm worth while.

"Merry Christmas, Betty.

"Eleanor."

Nan frowned when Betty told her about Eleanor. "But she isn't a nice
girl, Betty. Did I meet her?"

"Yes, she's the one you thought so pretty--the one with the lovely eyes
and hair."

"Betty," said Nan soberly, "you don't do things like this?"

"I!" Betty flushed indignantly. "Weren't there all kinds of girls when
you were in college, Nan? Didn't you ever know people who did 'things
like this'?"

Nan laughed. "There certainly were," she said. "I'll trust you, Betty.
Only don't see too much of Miss Watson, or she'll drag you down, in
spite of yourself."

"But Ethel's dragging her up," objected Betty. "And I gave her the first
boost, by knowing Ethel. Not that I meant to. I never seem to accomplish
things when I mean to. You remember Helen Chase Adams?"

"With great pleasure. She noticed my youthful appearance."

"Well, I've been all this term trying to reform her clothes, but I can't
improve her one bit, except when I set to work and do it all myself. I
should think you'd be afraid she'd drag me into dowdiness, I have to see
so much of her."

Nan smi