Hinpoha went happily on, seeing that every tack and screw was in place,
and arranging the books in the cases to correspond to her father's
catalog, for they had become sadly mixed during his absence. She even
took out a volume of his favorite essays and pored over them diligently
so that she might discuss them with him and show that she had used some
of her time to good advantage. She straightened out her bureau drawers
and mended all her clothes and stockings. When everything was in order
she viewed the result with a happy feeling at the pleasure it would give
her mother when she saw it. Hinpoha's most prominent trait in times past
had not been neatness.

Nyoda, who had been called in to make a final inspection before Hinpoha
was satisfied, wondered if all the girls were "seeking beauty" as
earnestly as Hinpoha was. She envied Hinpoha the homecoming of her
mother from the bottom of her heart. This feeling was particularly
strong one afternoon as she sat in the school room after the close of
school, looking over some English papers. It was the anniversary of the
death of her mother and she sat recalling little incidents of her
childhood before this best of chums had been taken away. As she sat
there half dreaming she heard voices in the hall before her door.

"Have you heard the latest?" asked one voice.

"No," said the second voice, "what is it?"

"Why, the _Francona_ has gone down," answered the first voice. "Struck a
mine in the ocean."

At the word "Francona" Nyoda started up. That was the boat Hinpoha's