find a way if I wanted to," and
she laughed with a sort of light amusement. "I often think up scenes
that would do for a novel; difficulties and how to get out of them."

"I don't want any more difficulties than the lessons," declared another.
"I shall be glad when school days are through with. The happiest time
of life is youth! Not much!"

"What period do you think will be the happiest?" asked Daisy,
thoughtfully.

"My happiest period will be going abroad on a wedding tour, and all the
money I can spend on the other side."

"And mine will be the intervening years," declared Roxy. "Through
school, lots of society, gayety, and admirers and a few flirtations
before I settle down. I'd like to go abroad quite free, and leave the
aching hearts behind."

"And you will make hearts ache, Roxy Mays."

Helen wondered at times how much she liked her, and others quite went
down to her. She was piquant and could be very charming, then she said
sharp and doubtful things, and had a way of twisting axioms around that
was amusing and rather dangerous, too. She stood fairly well in her
classes, but she was not an ambitious girl. How few of them considered
what they were going to do with their education.

After a month or so, Helen began to have what Daisy called an insight
into Latin. But, oh, dear, when she was fairly grounded there she would
have to take up French. And when it came time to sit at the French table
and ask for everything in a foreign tongue, how could she do it?

"I shall simply starve," announced Roxy. "And after Christmas that will
be my fate. I shall keep crackers and cheese under my pillow and nibble
on them in the long and sleepless hours of the night."

There was a good deal of fun when she came to know girls quite well, and
the arguing almost to quarreling. Some girls did and then would not
speak for days. Helen and Daisy agreed very well; Helen was robustly
conscientious, and Daisy gently so. They were of much assistance to each
other.

Besides the boarders there were the day scholars who lived in the town,
and some visiting was permitted. Helen was too busy to indulge in much
outside pleasure except just for exercise. She asked permission one day
to go down the hill for the sake of climbing up. "And I can say over the
Latin exercises, no one will think me crazy, because no one will be
there to hear."

Miss Grace laughed and gave permission, and so it became quite a
favorite excursion ground. If s