"A few of us were on the campus to-day, and we decided to go down the
creek to-morrow afternoon and take our suppers. There'll be Ellen
Stark, and Georgia Prentiss, and myself. And the boys will be Tom
Angell, and Frank Morris, and Eugene Babler. And Professor Rayburn was
there when we were talking about it, and so we asked him to go along,
but we told him he must take a girl. And he said, 'I wonder if your
sister wouldn't go? I have only met her once, but perhaps on your
recommendation, Miss Fairy----' and he paused with his breath in the
air, inquiringly. So I said, 'Do you mean Prudence, or one of the
twins?' He smiled very kindly and said, 'I mean Prudence.' I said I
was sure you would go, and so you'll have to do it. It's a great
honor, Prue, for all the upper-class girls, and even the unmarried
women on the Fac. are crazy about him. He's so aloof, you know, and
very intelligent. I swelled with pride at the public tribute to the
parsonage!"

"Professor Rayburn! Of the Fac.!" gasped Prudence. "Oh, I'm sure he
didn't mean me, Fairy. You must have misunderstood him. Why, I
wouldn't know what to say to a professor, you know! What is his line?"

"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.