Everybody seemed to welcome this particular Easter, even "the blessed
Damozel", who, despite her poetic appearance, was the form's champion
worker. The hard grind had perhaps accentuated her resemblance to
Rossetti's heroine, for a slight paleness etherealized her, the
intellectual concentration made her great grey eyes shine as the chief
feature in her face, and her hair, which fortunately never seemed to
darken, was still "yellow like ripe corn". Regina was really growing
very pretty, and though she had not yet dropped her jerky angular
manner, she was much less gauche than she had been a year ago, and
promised to develop into an interesting personality.

"She's the sort of girl who may possibly do _anything_ after she leaves
school," commented Calla one day, when the girls were discussing absent
members.

"Yes. With those brains it's just what she takes it into her head to
concentrate on," agreed Laura. "She _might_ make a hit on the stage."

"No, no! Not with those queer manners."

"But don't you see she's always posing? It's the very effort to be
something outside herself that makes her so odd and peculiar. She's
feeling after an ideal, and if she ever strikes it she'll be a huge
success."

"If in the meantime she doesn't marry a curate," put in Kathleen.

"A curate, child?"

"Yes; Regina's exactly the sort of girl who would!"

"_I_ prophesy she'll go to college, take a tremendous good
degree--wrangler or double first or something of that sort--and be head
of a high school."

"No, she won't. I know it seems her ordinary course, but she's not an
ordinary girl. She'll wangle something different and unusual. She ought
to marry a member of Parliament, not a curate--though I believe if she
did she'd soon make him a bishop--I could just imagine her, very
handsomely dressed, at a Mansion House ball, dancing with a foreign
ambassador. Cave! Here she comes--with the air of a princess. Who's she
copying at present I wonder?"

The little group dispersed, giggling, as Regina entered the room and
seeking out Lesbia drew her chum away. She was fond of private and
confidential chats, but this one had a special point to it. The Websters
were going to spend Easter at their country cottage, and invited Lesbia
to go with them.

"You were such a sport at Dolmadoc last summer. We all say we want you
to come again," insisted Regina.

Lesbia, with a dutiful demur about deferring to Mrs. Patterson,
jumped--nay clutched--