ie wi'
other lassies," declared the lodgekeeper's wife, kissing both Jennie and
Nancy and then going her way.

The pleasure of having Jennie Bruce in Number 30 instead of Cora
Rathmore was no small thing to Nancy. In Jennie's society she began to
expand. She became, indeed, quite a different creature from the quiet,
almost speechless girl who had heretofore crept about Pinewood Hall.

Girls of her own class, who had scarcely noticed Nancy before, suddenly
found that she was a bright and cheerful body when once she was included
in a group of her mates.

She had made a splendid mark in classes, and stood equally high in such
athletics as Miss Etching encouraged. And on the ice she had shown
herself to be the equal of many of the older girls.

Now, with the ban lifted from her recreation hours, Nancy could go on
the river again. And skating was one of her favorite sports.

The weather had remained cold all this time and, when it snowed at all,
there had been a high wind which blew the snow (for the most part) off
the ice and so did not put a veto on skating.

Clinton River was frozen nearly a foot in depth. The ice harvest had
begun, and it was not yet Christmas. But where the men cut for the huge
icebarns was beyond Dr. Dudley's Academy, and so did not trouble the
girls of Pinewood Hall who desired to skate. Nor did it trouble the boys
from the Academy, either; they were all glad to move up river for their
ice sports.

Hockey was a favorite game of the boys, and Nancy one afternoon watched
a match game between the crack team of the Academy and one made up of
lads from Clintondale. Bob Endress captained the school team and, Nancy
thought, covered himself with glory.

To Nancy's secret disappointment Bob only bowed to her. He never skated
with her again, although she saw him with Grace Montgomery and her
friends.

Nancy wasn't particularly enamored of boys; Jennie liked them better
than Nancy did, and was frank to say so, for Jennie was somewhat of a
tomboy and always played with her brothers and their friends when she
was at home.

Bob Endress, however, had seemed to Nancy to be a particularly nice boy.
And they had had a secret understanding together before Grace and Cora
had found out about Higbee School.

Nancy said nothing to Jennie about it; but she wondered if Bob felt as
the Montgomery clique did about her--that she was a mere nobody and was
really beneath his notice.

Of course, Nancy was only a you