the girl is here and she has no place for Miss Briggs.  Of course, if you insist on not having a roommate, my sister and I will see that Miss Briggs secures a room in one of the other college houses.”  Mrs. Elwood paused and looked questioningly at Miriam, who stood silent, an inscrutable expression on her face.  Grace and Anne, remembering Miriam’s dislike for the stout girl, wondered what her answer would be.

The settling of the question was not left to Miriam, for during the brief silence that followed Mrs. Elwood’s deprecatory speech J. Elfreda had been making a comprehensive survey of her surroundings.  “It’s all right, Mrs. Elwood,” she drawled.  “Don’t worry about me.  I like this room and I guess I can get along with Miss Nesbit.  You may telephone the expressman to have my trunk sent here.  I’m not going back to Ralston House with you.  I’m too tired.  I’m going to stay here.”

Mrs. Elwood looked appealingly at Miriam, as though mutely trying to apologize for J. Elfreda’s disregard for the rights of others.

Miriam’s straight black brows drew together.  She stared at their unwelcome guest with a look that caused a slow flush to rise to the stout girl’s face.  Suddenly her face relaxed into a smile of intense amusement, and extending her hand to J. Elfreda, she said, “You are welcome to half this room, if you care to stay.”

“Well, I never!” exclaimed the other girl for the second time, as she shook the proffered hand.  “Honestly, I thought you were going to give me a regular freeze out.  You looked like a thunder cloud for a minute.  I expect it won’t be all sunshine around here, this year, for I’m used to having things go my way, and I guess you are, too.”

“Then perhaps learning to defer to each other will be good practice for both of us,” suggested Miriam.

“Perhaps it will, but I doubt if we ever practise it,” was the discouraging retort.

“I’ll notify my sister that you are to be here, Miss Briggs,” broke in Mrs. Elwood.  “Then I’ll see that this room is made ready for two.  Thank you, Miss Nesbit.”  She turned gratefully to Miriam.

“All right,” answered J. Elfreda indifferently.  “You can fix it up if you want to, but I warn you that I’ll probably buy my own furniture and throw out all this.”  She waved a comprehensive hand at the despised furniture.

“You are at liberty to make whatever changes you wish,” Mrs. Elwood responded rather stiffly, and without further remark left the room.

“She didn’t like my remark about her furniture,” commented the stout girl, “but I’m not worrying about it.  It’s funny that I should run into you girls, though.  What kind of a time have you been having here, and did you pass all your exams?”

The girls replied in the affirmative, then Grace asked the same question of Elfreda.

“Of course,” was the laconic answer.  “I had a tutor all summer, besides I told you on the train that I wasn’t a wooden head.”