For once Elizabeth was momentarily silenced. Suddenly her face
brightened. "I tell you!" she exclaimed. "I'll speak to my
father about it. He can fix it so that you will be able to go to
the Hall with me, I know."

"I'd like to see myself an object of charity!" Nan cried, with
heat. "I, guess, not! What I can't earn, or my father can't
give me, I'll go without, Bess. That's all there is to that!"

Bess stared at her with quivering lips. "You can't be so mean,
Nan," she faltered.

"I'm not mean!" denied the other.

"I'd like to know what you call it? Why, father'd never miss
your tuition money in the world. And I know he'd pay your way if
I asked him and told him how bad I felt about your not going."

"You're a dear, Bess!" declared Nan, impulsively hugging her
friend again. "But you mustn't ask him, honey. It wouldn't be
right, and I couldn't accept.

"Don't you understand, honey, that I have some pride in the
matter? So have Papa Sherwood and Momsey. What they can't do
for me their own selves I wouldn't want anybody to do."

"Why, that sounds awfully silly to me, Nan!" said Bess. "Why not
take all you can get in this world? I'm sure I should."