or practise; or read, if you wish."

Blue Bonnet went into the bathroom and made as much of her toilet as was
possible. When she came out, Joy was still poring over her book.

"That must be a hard lesson you are getting," Blue Bonnet remarked.

"It's a book I'm reading."

"Oh!"

There was an interval of silence during which Blue Bonnet put the
finishing touches to her toilet. When she was quite dressed she stood
hesitatingly by one of the windows, gazing out over the brightly
lighted city. Suddenly she turned and flew down the hall, knocking
softly at number fifteen.

The door opened slightly and Annabel peered out.

"May I come in--please? I'm threatened with a terrible attack of--the
blues, I reckon."

Annabel pulled her in quickly.

"Surely," she said, "only hurry. This isn't strictly according to
Hoyle."

"You mean it's against the rules?"

Annabel nodded, her mouth full of pins.

"Then I'd better go."

"Nonsense, stay where you are! I was dying for some one to hook me up.
Ruth's in the tub--been there an hour. If you hear any one coming, step
in the closet."

"I shouldn't have come only I knew I was going to be homesick, and--"

"And Joy wasn't a very good antidote, was she?"

"Hardly. She won't talk."

Annabel laughed.

"You'll have to do what Sue did last year. That awful silence got on her
nerves. Not that she was so anxious to hear Joy talk, but she got tired
of putting forth all the effort. Well, she got somebody to make out a
list of subjects on a typewriter. She gave it to Joy. 'Now,' she said,
'for goodness sake, _talk_. Choose, in any order you like, but
_talk_!'"

Blue Bonnet laughed merrily.

"Ssh!" Annabel warned. "You mustn't do anything more than breathe during
this hour."

Blue Bonnet got up again.

Annabel pushed her back in the chair.

"Sit still," she said.

"What would they do if they found me?"

"That depends upon who found you. If it were the German lady above--"

"Fraulein?"

"Yes."

"Has she anything to do with this floor?"

"There isn't anything in the school that she hasn't something to do
with."

"And if it were Mrs. White?"

"Mrs. White would do her duty. She would send you to your room--and
you'd go--a heap quicker than you would for Fraulein."

"I think I'll go anyway. Oh, there's a knock!"

Annabel opened the door a crack.

"May I come in, Annabel?"

It was Mrs. White's voice, and Annabel was obliged to open the door.

Mrs. White look