Jane was amazed to find herself the guest of honor
and had to respond to the highly complimentary toast, "Right Guard
Jane," given by Florence Durham, the freshman captain.

So Jane's Thanksgiving holiday came and went in a blaze of well-earned
glory. Happy in this unexpected appreciation of herself, which appeared
to be steadily growing, she came to feel that things had at last begun
to take an upward turn.

With Christmas rapidly approaching and everything still serene, pleasant
immunity from the disagreeable was still hers. Neither had Judith met
with anything disturbing to her happiness, beyond an occasional spiteful
glance from Marian Seaton when she chanced to encounter the latter in
the Hall or on the campus.

"I guess Marian has given up the ghost," Judith suddenly remarked to
Jane one evening before dinner, as the two sat in their room going over
their long Christmas lists. "I believe I ought to send her a consolation
present. A wooden tiger on wheels would be nice. I saw some lovely ones
in the Ten-Cent Store at Chesterford. All painted with dashing yellow
and black stripes and fixed so that they waggle their heads when you
touch 'em."

"Don't mention her," grimaced Jane. "You'll break the spell. We've had
absolute peace and rest since her last uprising. I wonder if she ever
found her ring?"

"I don't believe so. A girl told me not long ago that she saw Marian
take the notice from the bulletin board and tear it up. She overheard
her say that she might just as well have not posted it, for all the good
it had done. That she had hoped that the reward she offered might count.
But evidently it hadn't. Now what did she mean by that?"

"Nothing or everything," shrugged Jane, and again turned her attention
to her list of names.

"More likely everything," Judith declared uncharitably. "She probably
meant something dark and insinuating. I guess that the only person who
could earn the reward would be herself. I can just imagine her
returning the ring to herself and paying herself twenty-five dollars
reward."

Judith chuckled as she mentally visioned Marian Seaton graciously
bestowing a reward upon herself.

Jane smiled a little, also, but made no comment. Engaged in the
delightful occupation of planning pleasure for her friends, she did not
wish the subject of Marian Seaton to intrude upon it.

"I don't have to worry about my present-buying this year," she presently
remarked. "Aunt Mary will buy everything