n astonishment, presently found herself laughing (she
had thought that she would never smile again) as she sipped mulligatawny
soup from a tooth-mug and balanced a pin-trayful of steaming baked beans
on her knee.

"And now," said Patty, as, the three courses disposed of, she tucked the
freshman into bed, "we'll map out a campaign. While eight hours are
pretty serious, they are not of necessity deadly. What made you flunk
Latin prose?"

"I never had any before I came, and when I told Miss--"

"Certainly; she thought it her duty to flunk you. You shouldn't have
mentioned the subject. But never mind. It's only one hour, and it won't
take you a minute to work it off. How about German?"

"German's a little hard because it's so different from Italian and
French, you know; and I'm sort of frightened when she calls on me,
and--"

"Pretty stupid, on the whole?" Patty suggested.

"I'm afraid I am," she confessed.

"Well, I dare say you deserved to flunk in that. You can tutor it up and
pass it off in the spring. How about geometry?"

"I thought I knew that, only she didn't ask what I expected and--"

"An unfortunate circumstance, but it will happen. Could you review it up
a little and take a reexamination right away?"

"Yes; I'm sure I could, only they won't give me another chance. They'll
send me home first."

"Who's your instructor?"

"Miss Prescott."

Patty frowned, and then she laughed. "I thought if it were Miss Hawley
I could go to her and explain the matter and ask her to give you a
reexamination. Miss Hawley's occasionally human. But Miss Prescott! No
wonder you flunked. I'm afraid of her myself. She's the only woman that
ever got a degree at some German university, and she simply hasn't a
thought in the world beyond mathematics. I don't believe the woman has
any soul. If one of those mediums should come here and dematerialize
her, all that would be left would be an equilateral triangle."

Patty shook her head. "I'm afraid there's not much use in arguing with a
person like that. If she once sees a truth, you know, she sees it for
all time. But never mind; I'll do the best I can. I'll tell her you're
an undiscovered mathematical genius; that it's latent, but if she'll
examine you again she'll find it. That ought to appeal to her.
Good-night. Go to sleep and don't worry; I'll manage her."

"Good night; and thank you, Patty," called a tolerably cheerful voice
from under the covers.

Patty closed the door