e, she wandered around to the studies of
her friends, and was confronted by an "engaged" on every door. She was
sitting on a window-sill in the corridor, pondering on the general
barrenness of things, when she suddenly remembered her friends the
freshmen in study 321. She had not visited them for some time, and
freshmen are usually interesting at this period. She accordingly turned
down the corridor that led to 321, and found a "POSITIVELY ENGAGED TO
EVERY ONE!!" in letters three inches high, across the door. This
promised a richness of entertainment within, and Patty heaved a
disappointed sigh loud enough to carry through the transom.

The turning of leaves and rustling of paper ceased; evidently they were
listening, but they gave no sign. Patty wrote a note on the door-block
with reverberating punctuation-points, and then retired noisily, and
tiptoed back a moment later, and leaned against the wall. Curiosity
prevailed; the door opened, and a face wearing a hunted look peered out.

"Oh, Patty Wyatt, was that you?" she asked. "We thought it was Frances
Stoddard coming down to have geometry explained, and so we kept still.
Come in."

"Goodness, no; I wouldn't come in over an 'engaged' like that for
anything. I'm afraid you're busy."

The freshman grasped her by the arm. "Patty, if you love us come in and
cheer us up. We're so scared we don't know what to do."

Patty consented to be drawn across the threshold. "I don't want to
interrupt you," she remonstrated, "if you have anything to do." The
study was occupied by three girls. Patty smiled benignly at the two
haggard faces before her. "Where's Lady Clara Vere de Vere?" she asked.
"She surely isn't wasting these precious last moments in anything
frivolous."

"She's in her bedroom, with a geometry in one hand and a Greek grammar
in the other, trying to learn them both at once."

"Tell her to come out here; I want to give her some good advice"; and
Patty sat down on the divan and surveyed the dictionary-bestrewn room
with an appreciative smile.

"Oh, Patty, I'm so glad to see you!" Lady Clara exclaimed, appearing in
the doorway. "The sophomores have been telling us the most _dreadful_
stories about examinations. They aren't true, are they?"

"Mercy, no! Don't believe a word those sophomores tell you. They were
freshmen themselves last year, and if the examinations were as bad as
they say, they wouldn't have passed them, either."

A relieved expression stole ove