cises at Pinewood occurred the day before that same
ceremony at Dr. Dudley's school. The older boys of the Academy were
usually invited guests at the exercises of the Hall; and some of the
first and second-class girls remained over a day after graduation to see
their friends in the boys' school graduated.

Nancy and Jennie received each an engraved card requesting "the honor of
their presence" at Clinton Academy, with Bob Endress's name written with
a flourish in the lower corner.

So, although Nancy was going home with Jennie for the summer once more,
they begged the Madame's permission to remain over for the boys'
graduation.

And how angry Grace Montgomery was when she learned that Bob had invited
Nancy and her chum! Bob had stood well in his class--was quite the cock
of the walk, indeed--and Grace wanted to show him off to the older girls
as her especial property. She worked the cousinly relationship to the
limit.

And after the exercises, when Bob came down from the platform
particularly to lead Nancy and Jennie to his parents and introduce them,
Grace and Cora went away in anything but a sweet frame of mind.

Mr. and Mrs. Endress spoke very kindly to Nancy. Bob, it seemed, had
often spoken of the girl whose quick wit had saved him from the millrace
almost two years before.

"And you are in Grace Montgomery's class?" observed Mrs. Endress. "It is
odd we have never heard Grace speak of you, Nancy. And where will you
spend your summer?"

Nancy told her how kind the Bruces were to invite her for the long
vacation.

"I hope we shall see you both," said Mrs. Endress, nodding kindly to
Jennie, too, "before fall. We are not so very far from Holleyburg, you
know. Ah! here come Grace and the Senator."

Nancy and her chum fell back. A tall man dressed in a gray frock coat
and broad-brimmed hat--the garments so often affected by the Western
politician--was pacing slowly up the aisle with Grace and Cora.

He was in gray all over, from hat to spats, save that his tie had a
crimson spot in it--a very beautiful ruby pin.

"My goodness me, Nance! The Man in Gray!" whispered Jennie, chuckling.

"What's that?" gasped Nancy.

"Why, you remember the man Scorch told us of?"

"What man?"

"The man in gray who came to see your guardian, Mr. Gordon?"

"Oh! Well," and Nancy recovered her composure. "I guess Grace
Montgomery's father has nothing to do with _me_. But I have seen him
before."

"You have?" returned Jenni