way you feel,"
replied the Professor, smiling. "I would go to a fudge party or a picnic
or anything in the nature of an entertainment, if I felt--er--that
is----" the Professor was getting decidedly mixed, and Molly saw with
surprise that he was blushing. "That is, if the fire refugees wished it
so much," he finished.

"You look a little tired, Professor," she remarked, noticing for the
first time that he was hollow-eyed and his face was thin and worn, as if
he had been working at night.

"My pallor is due entirely to disappointment," he answered laughing,
"our little opera passed into oblivion the other night. Perhaps you
would have brought it better luck if you had been with us."

"I would have clapped and cheered the loudest of all," exclaimed Molly.
"But I'm so sorry. I am sure it must have been splendid. What was the
reason?"

"It was just one of those unfortunate infants destined to die young,"
said the Professor. "I thought it was quite a neat little thing, myself,
but Richard believes that the plot had too much story and it was a
little--well--too refined, if I may put it that way. It needed more
buffoonery of a lighter vein. It was a joke, my writing it in the first
place. However, I haven't lost anything but time over it, and I've
gained a good deal of experience."

"I am so sorry," exclaimed Molly with real sympathy, giving him her
hand. "It seems rather tactless," she said starting to leave and turning
back, "to tell you about our good luck just now, but of course you knew
about the Square Deal. Mine, anyway."

"Oh, yes," he answered. "They are going to pay off all the creditors. An
old cousin of Mrs. Blount's in Switzerland died the other day without
leaving a will, and she inherits his property. It's pretty hard on her
to give it up just now when she needs it dreadfully, but Richard has
induced her to do it and I suppose it is right. It will take a year at
least to straighten out the affair though. There is so much red tape
about American heirs getting European property."

"Then, _I've_ had some luck, too," said Molly, making an effort to keep
the Professor from seeing how really joyously happy she was. "Some
perfectly delightful and charming person has bought my two acres of
apple orchard at last, and I shall not be down at O'Reilly's next
winter. I'm going to be in the Quadrangle with the others. Isn't it
wonderful?"

The Professor looked at her with his quizzical brown eyes; then he shook
ha