joint," said the doctor.

"Well, hardly that. But there was no longer need for her at home, and,
on the whole, she felt better to be independent, and so here she has
been for the last two years. She shares my room when she is at home,
which is not often, and still takes care of me."

"Most fortunate young lady she is," murmured the doctor.

"So I am going with them," continued Iola.

"Then I suppose nobody will see you." The doctor's tone was quite
gloomy.

"Why, I love to see all my friends."

"It will be the usual thing," said the doctor, "the same circle crowding
you, the same impossibility of getting a word with you."

"That depends on how much you--" cried Iola, throwing a swift smile at
him.

"How much I want to?" interrupted the doctor eagerly. "You know quite
well I--"

"How much time there is. You see, one can't be rude. One must speak to
all one's friends. But, of course, one can always plan one's time. How
ever," she continued, "one can hardly expect to see much of the very
popular Dr. Bulling, whose attention is always so fully taken up."

"Oh, rot!" said the doctor. "I say, can't we get off a little together?
There are nice quiet nooks about the old building."

"Oh, doctor, how shocking!" But her eyes belied her voice, and
the doctor departed with the lively expectation of a very pleasant
convocation day at Trinity.

The convocation passed off with the usual uproar on the part of the
students and the usual long-suffering endurance on the part of the dean
and faculty and those who were fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be
the orators of the day, the fervent enthusiasm of the undergraduate body
finding expression, now in college songs, whose chief characteristic was
the vigour with which they were rendered, personal remarks in the way
of encouragement, deprecation, pity, or gentle reproof to all who had
to take part in the public proceedings, and at intervals in wildly
uproarious applause and cheers at the mention of the name of some
favourite. At no point was the fervour greater than when Barney was
called to receive his medal. To the little group of friends at the left
of the desk, consisting of his brother, Margaret, and Iola, it seemed
as if the cheering that greeted Barney's name was almost worthy of the
occasion. Dr. Trent presented him, and as he spoke of the difficulties
he had to contend with in the early part of his course, of the
perseverance and indomitable courage the young man