r work, girls, or is it to be a case of
idle hands?"

"Idle hands!" exclaimed Nora. "Far from it. Jessica has a blouse to
finish and I have innumerable initials to embroider."

"I am the only idle one," confessed Anne. "I am sorry to say that I
haven't the least desire to be industrious. I prefer to sit with my
hands folded and watch the rest of you work. It sounds lazy, doesn't
it?"

"Not a bit of it," declared Grace loyally. "You've done your work, Anne.
It's time you took a rest. Make yourselves comfy, girls. Here, give me
your hats and parasols. I'll put them in the hall."

In a moment Grace returned, and sitting down by Nora, who had stationed
herself in the big porch swing, she picked up her work and began to
embroider industriously.

For the space of half an hour the little company worked busily, keeping
up a running accompaniment of merry conversation broken with light
laughter. It was Nora's quick eyes which first saw Grace lay down her
work with an impatient sigh. An instant later Grace discovered that
Nora's industry was flagging. Mrs. Harlowe had just gone into the house.
Anne was leaning back in her chair, her eyes fixed dreamily upon the far
horizon, while Jessica, alone, plodded patiently along, too much
absorbed in the development of the butterfly pattern she was
embroidering to note that two of her companions were lagging. A sudden
silence fell upon them all. It was broken by Nora's quick tones. "I'll
take it all back," she averred. "I'm strictly in favor of idle hands.
Let's put our work away and go for a walk!"

"For this brilliant idea, we thank you," returned Anne, coming out of
her dream in a hurry.

"Why not walk over to the old Omnibus House," suggested Grace.

"Brillianter and brillianter," nodded Nora. "What could be more fitting
than to make a pilgrimage to the scenes of our high school days? I
haven't been there in ages."

"Neither have I," was Grace's quick response. "It's only half-past
three. We'll have plenty of time to go there and back before dinner. The
boys won't be here until six o'clock. You know that Tom Gray arrived
yesterday, I suppose? That makes the Eight Originals complete. We'll
have to do without the Plus Two, because Miriam hasn't come home yet and
Arnold won't be here until the night before Nora's wedding."

"How I miss Miriam," sighed Grace.

"We never dreamed when we were freshmen that she would ever be our close
friend, did we?" asked Nora.

"She's a dea