“Thank you so much for letting me wear them,” she said earnestly.  “If it hadn’t been for your doing that I wouldn’t have been in time to save that robin.  It was really that inspiration of yours that saved him, not my climbing the tree.”

Even in the hour of her triumph Mary was eager to give the credit to someone else, and Agony began to feel rather humble and small before such a generous spirit, even though her vanity strove to accept the measure of credit given as justly due.

When they were crossing the river they saw Dr. Grayson standing on the dock, shading his eyes to look over the water.

“There’s the Doctor, looking for us!” exclaimed Mary.  “It must be late and he’s worried about us.”  She doubled her speed with the oars, hailing the Doctor across the water to reassure him.  A few moments later the boat touched the dock.

“Mary,” said the Doctor, before she was fairly out, “a message has come from your father saying that he must sail for Japan one week from today and you must come home immediately.  In order to catch the boat you will have to leave for San Francisco not later than the day after tomorrow.  There is an early train for New York tomorrow morning from Green’s Landing.  I will take you down in the launch, for the river steamer will not get there in time.  Be ready to leave camp at half past five tomorrow morning.  You will have to pack tonight.”

Mary gasped and clutched Agony’s hand convulsively.

“I have—­to—­leave—­camp!” she breathed faintly. 
“I’m—­going—­to—­Japan!”

CHAPTER VI

A CAMP HEROINE

Mary Sylvester was gone.  Sung to and wept over by her friends and admirers, who had risen at dawn to see her off, she had departed with Dr. Grayson in the camp launch just as the sun was beginning to gild the ripples on the surface of the river.  She left behind her many grief stricken hearts.

“Camp won’t be camp without Mary!” Bengal Virden had sobbed, trickling tearfully back to Ponemah with a long tress of black hair clutched tightly in her hand—­a souvenir which she had begged from Mary at the moment of parting.  Next to Pom-pom, Mary Sylvester was Bengal’s greatest crush.  “I’m going to put it under my pillow and sleep on it every night,” Bengal had sniffed tearfully, displaying the tress to her tentmates.

“What utter nonsense!” Miss Peckham had remarked with a contemptuous sniff.  Miss Peckham considered the fuss they were making over Mary’s departure perfectly ridiculous, and was decidely cross because Bengal had awakened her with her lamenting before the bugle blew.

Migwan and Gladys, on the other hand, remembering their own early “crushes,” managed not to smile at Bengal’s sentimental foolishness about the lock of hair, and Gladys gravely gave her a hand-painted envelope to keep the precious tress in.