tone of authority that a teacher
might use to a pupil. "I could not help overhearing what your newspaper
friend was saying to you at supper, and I wish you would take my advice
and not listen to a word he says. He's just a young fool!"

The Professor was quite red in the face and Molly also flushed and her
eyes darkened with anger.

"I don't agree with you about that," she said.

"Is it possible you are going to put all this hard studying you have
been doing for the last three and a half years into writing news items
for a yellow journal? I'm disgusted."

"But I only expected to start there----" began Molly.

"And is that young idiot trying to persuade you that the sort of life he
described--a wild carnival life of dissipation and restaurant dinners is
the right life for you? I tell you he's mistaken. I should like
to--to----"

Molly's face was burning now.

"I--I--I don't think it's any of your business," she burst out. At this
astonishing speech the Professor came to himself with a start.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Brown," he said. "I realize now that I entirely
overstepped the mark. Good evening."

"Miss Brown, shall we have the last dance together?" called Jimmy Lufton
down the hall, and presently poor Molly, whirling in the waltz, wondered
why her temples throbbed so and her throat ached.

CHAPTER XVIII.

TWO CHRISTMAS BREAKFASTS.

Early Christmas morning a slender figure in faded blue corduroy could be
seen hurrying up the road that led from the village to the college
grounds. The frosty wind nipped two spots of red on her cheeks and under
the drooping brim of her old blue felt hat her eyes shone like patches
of sky in the sunlight. Where was Molly bound for at this early hour?
The church bells were ringing out the glad Christmas tidings; the ground
sparkled with hoar frost; but not a moment did she linger to listen to
the cheerful clanging, or even to glance at the lonely vista of hill and
dale stretched around her. Hurrying across the campus, she skirted the
college buildings and presently gained the pebbled path that led to the
old campus in the rear, flanked by a number of old red brick houses,
formerly the homes of the professors. They were now used for various
purposes: the college laundry; homes for the employees about the
building and grounds and rooms for bachelor professors.

Hastening along the path to the house where Professor Green was
domiciled, Molly was thinking:

"Only a