“Really going!” she kept thinking, “and I thought the half year would be endless in its days and hours!” A newly painted calendar-sample just finished by Nellie Saunders and offered as a model for Christmas gifts—­focused the girl’s attention.  How dainty, yet how rugged the deft bit of water color!  Trees and landscape all melting into that big flourish “W” for Wellington!  It seemed like that; everything attractive just now was blended into the college opportunities, and Sally was about to turn her back on them, for what?

The housemaid tapped at her door and announced a caller.  Hurriedly gathering up trifles to put the room in a semblance of order, she hurried down to the reception room, there to confront Dolorez Vincez!

“Oh, good morning,” said Sally, trying to cover her surprise.  “Bobbie has just gone out.”

“I met her,” replied the visitor, without returning the salutation.  “But I would like a few words with you—­if we could be alone.”

Sally glanced about at the open doors and continually flapping draperies:  whatever Dol Vin had to say could certainly not be said in that public room.  A coat tree at the door held Sally’s tam and Mackinaw.  She got into these and suggested a walk outside.

There was no denying it, Dol Vin was a striking looking girl, and even her flashy clothes could not altogether disguise her rather handsome foreign type.  Today she wore a big black velvet tam jabbed rakishly on her black head, a flame colored coat that buttoned around her tight as a toboggan ulster, and only the deep olive tint of her face in any way withheld the eye from a criticism of “too much color.”  Today Dol’s cheeks were not tinted, and the way her deep set black eyes flashed, further told how angry she was, and how reckless.

Scarcely had the girls from Lenox gone far enough to be out of hearing than she started in on helpless little Sally.

“What are you two thinking of?” she demanded angrily.  “Do you think you can kick out and leave me without warning?  Don’t you know how short I am—­”

“Miss Vincez,” interrupted Sally, “I don’t see what possible claim you have on either of us.  The fact is we both feel you have very much overworked your alleged claim as it is.”

“Oh, you do!” and she gripped Sally’s arm viciously.  “Well, I’ll just tell you, sissy, I fixed it so you both could get in here.”  (Sally pried her arm loose and kept at a safe distance.) “I helped you along, played all your tricks—­”

“Stop, please,” demanded Sally indignantly.  “You know perfectly well it was against any wish of ours that you brought that crazy creature in here to frighten the girls sick in the name of sport, hazing,” declared Sally, her voice rising at each word.  “And then, you turned the same foolish creature loose to frighten all the other children who might hear her wild voice.  How can you dare say to me that such a trick was ever countenanced by us?”