“Bugs!” cried Fairy.  “He’s the biology man.  And this is his first year here, and he’s very brilliant,—­they say!  I’m no authority on bugs myself.  But anyhow every one just raves about him, and he showed very plainly that he was anxious to get acquainted with you, so you’ll have to go.”

“But bugs!” wailed Prudence.  “What do I know about bugs!  Will he expect me to know how to divide them,—­separate them, you know—­”

“I suppose you mean dissect them, you poor child,” screamed Fairy.  “Divide bugs!  If professor could hear you now, Prue, he would be sadly disillusioned.  You must just trot up-stairs and get one of the twins’ biology books and cram up a little.  He won’t expect you to be an advanced buggist.  He can give you points himself.  Men do love to have girls appeal to their superior knowledge, and be admiring and deferent.  Maybe he will ‘divide one’ for you if you ask him ‘please.’”

“I won’t do it,” declared Prudence.  “I don’t like bugs anyhow, and—­why, the very pictures of them in the twins’ books make me nervous.  I won’t do it.  You can just tell him I don’t feel qualified to go.”

“You’ve got to go,” said Fairy sternly, “for I said you would, and he’s counting on it.  He’s going to phone you this afternoon and ask you himself.  You’ve got to go.”

At that instant, the telephone rang.

“There’s professor!” cried Fairy.  “You tell him you are just delighted to go, and that you are so interested in bugs!”

With a flushed face, Prudence took down the receiver.  “Hello,” she said, “this is the parsonage.”

And then, a second later, she said, “Yes, this is Prudence.”

After that she stood silent for some little time, with Fairy crouched beside her, trying to hear.

Then spoke Prudence.  “Yes, Fairy has been telling me.  And it’s very kind of you, indeed, and I know I would enjoy it.  But as I was telling Fairy, I don’t know a thing about bugs, and I don’t like them anyhow, so I’m afraid you would find me rather stupid.”

Fairy was striving to get a hand over her sister’s lips to stem the words, but Prudence eluded her.  They were both somewhat astounded at the great peal of laughter which came over the telephone.

“Good!  That’s just what I was hoping for!  You couldn’t have said anything that would give me greater pleasure.  Then shall I come around with Babler, for you and your sister, about one o’clock?—­Oh, that is very kind of you, Miss Starr.  Good-by!  Don’t cultivate an interest in bugs between now and to-morrow, for my sake!”

The girls looked at each other doubtfully when the receiver was once more on its hook.

“I’m afraid he’s laughing at me,” said Prudence questioningly.

“I should hope so,” cried Fairy.  “What in the world did you say that for?  Couldn’t you have pretended to be interested?  Professor likes women to be dignified and intellectual and deep, and——­”