"My dear, good Nancy, it is more than I know myself. What awful
indiscretion does your prophetic soul see me perpetrating?"

"Oh, Maggie, as if anything could change your nature! You know you'll
take up that miserable fresher for about a fortnight, and make her
imagine that you are going to be excellent friends for the rest of
your life, and then-- p---- f! you'll snuff her out as if she had
never existed; I know you, Maggie, and I call it cruel."

"Is not that Miss Banister I hear talking?" said a voice quite close
to the two girls.

They both turned, and immediately with heightened color rushed up
eagerly to shake hands with the vice-principal of their college.

"How do you do, my dears?" she said in a hearty voice. "Are you quite
well, Maggie, and you, Nancy? Had you a pleasant holiday? And did you
two great chums spend it together?"

The girls began answering eagerly; some other girls came up and joined
the group, all anxious to shake hands with Miss Heath and to get a
word of greeting from her.

At this moment the dressing-gong for dinner sounded, and the little
group moved slowly toward the house.

In the entrance hall numbers of girls who had recently arrived were
standing about; all had a nod, or a smile, or a kiss for Maggie
Oliphant.