r any one who was strong and knew
how to tread water; but these dear people had
remembered the date, and had done this lovely
thing to--well, Hilda, I didn't cry that evening,
but somehow I want to now, when I come to tell you
about it. You will understand! It is so lovely to
have such dear, kind friends, that I cannot help
it. Well, then out of another basket came a most
wonderful cream tart, with my initials on it in
caramel, and a whole lot, dozens and dozens, of
the little sponge-cakes that I am so fond of. They
cannot make them anywhere in the world, I think,
except at Miss Russell's, and dear good Miss Cary,
the housekeeper, remembered that I was fond of
them. Oh, and a huge box of marshmallows; and we
all knew what _that_ meant. Marshmallows are
the--what shall I say?--the unofficial emblem of
Miss Russell's school; and soon two or three were
toasting over the gas on hat-pins, and I was
cutting the tart, and Gerty was handing round the
sponge-cakes, and we were all as happy as
possible. I ran and asked the girls along the hall
to come in, and as many of them did come as could
get in the door, and the rest sat in a semicircle
on the floor in the hall, and we sang everything
we could think of. All of a sudden we heard a
knocking at the window. I ran and looked out, and
there was something hanging and bobbing against
the glass. I opened the window, and drew in a
basket, full of all kinds of things, oranges and
bananas and candy, with a card, 'Compliments of
the Third Floor!' So of course I was running up to
thank them, and say how sorry we were that there
was not room for them, when I almost ran plump
into Mrs. Tower, who was coming along the entry,
very stately and superb. She had heard all about
it, and she came to say that, if we liked, we
might dance for half an hour in the parlour. You
can imagine--no, you cannot, for you never were at
college!--the wild rush down those stairs. We
called the third floor (they are mostly freshmen),
and they came careering down like a herd of
ponies; and the firs