“Well, girls,” said Grace, “here is my street.  I must leave you now.  Be good children, and——­”

She was interrupted by an exultant shriek, and a second later five girls appeared as by magic and gleefully surrounded the rescue party.  The Phi Sigma Tau was out in full force.

“Hurrah!” shrieked Nora, waving her school bag. “’We have met the enemy and they are ours.’  Tell us about it quickly.  Why didn’t you let me go along?  I was dying to cross swords with that old stone face.”

Then everyone talked at once, surrounding Mabel and asking her questions until Grace said, laughing:  “Stop it, girls; let her get used to you gradually.  Don’t come down on her like an avalanche.”

Mabel, however, was equal to the occasion.  She answered their questions without embarrassment, and seemed quietly pleased at their demonstrations.

“You are the child of the sorority now, Mabel,” said Miriam Nesbit, “and we are your adopted mothers.  You will have your hands full trying to please all of us.”

“Stop teasing her,” said Anne, “or she’ll run away before she is fairly adopted.”

“It is very uncertain as to whether she will ever go further than my house,” said Jessica calmly.  “I need Mabel more than do the rest of you, but perhaps if you’re good I’ll loan her to you occasionally.  Come on, Mabel, let’s go home before they spoil you completely.”

“Considering the fact that the Bright family did two thirds of the rescuing, I suppose we shall have to respect your claim,” said Nora, “but remember, Jessica, that generosity is a beautiful virtue to cultivate.”

CHAPTER X

JULIA PERFORMS A SACRED DUTY

“What have we ever done that we should be so neglected?” said David Nesbit, swinging himself from his motorcycle and landing squarely in front of Grace Harlowe and Anne Pierson while they were out walking one afternoon.

“Why, David Nesbit, how can you make such statements?” replied Grace, looking at the young man in mock disapproval.  “You know perfectly well that you’ve been shut up in your old laboratory all fall.  We have scarcely seen you since the walking party.  You have even given football the go by, and I’m so sorry, for you were a star player last year.”

“I see you have discovered the secrets of my past life,” replied David, laughing.  “That’s what comes of having a sister who belongs to a sorority.  However, you folks are equally guilty, you’ve all gone mad over your sorority, and left Hippy and Reddy and me to wander about Oakdale like lost souls.  I hear you’ve adopted a girl, too.  Reddy is horribly jealous of her.  He says Jessica won’t look at him any more.”

“Reddy is laboring under a false impression,” said Anne.  “He is head over heels in football practice and has forgotten he ever knew Jessica.  As for Hippy, Nora says that he is studying night and day, and that he is actually wearing himself away by burning midnight oil.”