Peggy

far as the actual outlines were concerned; there, however, the likeness ended. There had been no Uncle John, no Margaret, in this case. The room was furnished, evidently

; more could not be said. Lobelia seemed smaller and more shrunken than ever amid all this tasteless display; she seemed conscious of it, too, as she gazed piteously at Peggy. She had been crying, in a furtive, frightened way; and, gazing at her, Peggy felt that it must be years ago that she was crying, too, and hoping for nothing in the world save to get to her room and have a good solid d

to call me Peggy, and we are going to be friends. Now, Lobelia, mind what I say! if t

id Lobeli

u before? Beasts! Or wa

A little yesterday; but-I don't know whether they mean

e spirit of your own, Lobelia. I tell you, these girls are mean, cowardly wretches, not fit for girls like the Owl

ccount. It-it needn't matter to you, Peggy. Of course you are very, very kind, and I think I should have died if y

manded Peggy. "Guess I can take care

she spoke, she glanced around the room with a peculiar shrinking l

d, briefly. "Rose Barclay, for one

was another freshma

ed you?" asked Pe

med so distressed at the question t

deal better now, after you and Miss Merryweather being so brave and so kind. I don

so-well, I don't know any word but meeching, and Margaret won't let me say that. But have a spirit of your own, a

look, and how I seem, and how little and ugly and queer I am. I don't wonder they laugh, I don't,

as her own. Yet she must make one more attempt;

! Only this morning, in rhetoric, Miss Pugsley was just as hateful as she could be, and all the girls laughed; yes, they did. So you are not so different as you think. Why,-I don't mind telling you,-when I came along just now,

are kind, and you want to make

asant to look at, and she had beautiful hair, but that was all; yet she could not help seeing that she was a very vision of loveliness beside the sa

said. "It's n

y friend, and if anybody dares to meddle with you again, they'll have to reckon with me, that's all. And now I must go, or I shall lose all the drill. Cheer up, Lobelia, and don't sit here and mope, mind! and if

s head for the time. Bertha Haughton was not at the gymnasium, but when Peggy came ba

wedding she has been to, and we both want you to come, too. I'm going to speak to Miss Russell, but you'd better ask her, too

ction

rth

window in every tone of joyousness and delight. It was very hard to study the detested rhetoric and history, but Peggy was strong in her good resolve, and bent steadily ov

Scapegoat, in her deep, musical

eady and the w

d for the sea

ggy. "I wish I could, but I h

time to thi

goat at t

ide. "Why work at this hour, Innocent? Even the s

f her body would be drawn out after her longing spiri

he said. "That's j

ssible to be wolf and goat at the same time, and do justice

to dreadfully,-though not more dreadfully than I want to come out now," she added, wistfully. "And if I do, you see, I must get my

standing with the ball in her hand, swa

o come down. I am to be thrown over for owls, who have, if you will consider the matter, neither hor

nd on the fire-escape, and seemed on the point of mounting it, when suddenly a

of feeling, wished she had gone with her. Bertha was a dear, and Miss Merryweather looked lovely, but ne

atisfaction of closing the book at last with the feeling that she was sure of i

turned with one accord and stared at Peggy, with a cool insolence that made her blood boil within her and surge up in angry red to her forehead. She could not do anything about it; they had a right to stare, if they had no better manners. She returned the look for a moment, then turned away with a sore and angry heart. Fortunately, at this moment c

iety. Did she "look nice?" Peggy had as little personal vanity as a girl could well have; but she had learned from her cousin

head so as to show the lines of the neck to advantage. But Peggy's own good sense, aided by Margaret's calm wisdom, had told her the inappropriateness of Rita's graceful airs and poses to her own sturdy personality. She was to look nice; more she could not aspire to. So here she was to-night, in a pretty blue silk waist, with a

ossessed her. There was a crowd there! They would all be juniors and seniors, and she the only freshman amo

door opened, and Bertha

lly. "Come along; there's plenty of room

w Lobelia Parkins felt; then she made an

ray in one's face, so perfect was it. It was at a later visit that Peggy observed the books; now, she was conscious of nothing save the girls. The room was certainly full of them. There were three on each bed, curled up in every variety of picturesque and comfortable attitude; two sat on one of the bureaus, having pushed books and toilet articles up into a toppling and highly perilous mountain behin

ith a bird-like ca

here, Peggy Montfo

one of the beds. She wore the prettiest pink tea-gown i

ng the pillows. "Lots of room; m

.," replied Bertha. "But first,

rforming some mystic rite; she took Peggy's two hands in hers, and

poor little thing? Better? I'm sur

nd confused. "I couldn't really do a

she said. "We'll have a talk sometime; no chance now. Only, Bertha has been telli

it was said-in the whole school. Those foolish tears actually got half-way up to her eyes,-only they wer

omfy? so'm I! Room, my dear? gallons of room! I haven't seen you for an age; where have you kept yourself? I looked into your room, though, and it's perf'ly fine

ed Vivia Varnham, who sat on the same bed, a little lower

d much chance yet, has she? Are you ready to talk, Snowy? Oh, you duck! it is too perfectly enchanting to have you back again. I haven't lived since

," replied the Snowy Owl, la

arshmallows," and handed it arou

Haughton checked it decidedly. "You have come here to hear the Snowy tell!" she said. "It's a long te

e was silence; and Gertrude Merryweather, sitting on the flo

ELL IN THE