Under promise of secrecy she told of Elise's masquerade the night
before, and of A.O.'s wild curiosity about the lady in black. She had
persecuted them all morning with questions, and they were almost worn
out trying to evade them and to baffle her. Ethelinda appreciated being
taken into her confidence, for she had been more lonely than her pride
would allow her to admit. Her patronizing airs and ill-guarded speech
about being exclusive in the choice of friends had offended most of the
lower-class girls. Slowly she was learning that her old standards would
not bear comparison with Madam Chartley's and the Lady Evelyn's and that
she must accept theirs if she would have any friends at Warwick Hall.
Her friendship with Mary took a long stride forward that afternoon.

The rest of the money came in various ways. Mary found appropriate
quotations for a set of unique dinner cards, to fit the pen and ink
illustrations which one of the Seniors bought to give her sister, a
prominent club-woman, whose turn it was to give the yearly club dinner.
She did some indexing for the librarian and some copying for Miss
Chilton, and by the end of the week not only was Jack's fob on its way
to Arizona, with presents for the rest of the family, but there was
enough left in her purse to pay her share towards the mock Christmas
tree.

It gave her a thrill to think that out of the entire school she had been
chosen as one of the committee of nine for the delightful task of tying
up the parcels for that tree. It was such bliss to share all the secrets
and anticipate the surprise and laughter each ridiculous gift would call
forth. And when all the joking and rollicking was over there was the
carol service on the last night of the term, so sweet and solemn and
full of the real Christmas gladness, that it was something to remember
always as the crowning beauty of that beautiful time.