courteous to the girl from Rose Ranch, or smiled at her when they
met, and kept deftly away from the exciting adventure in their
conversation while Rhoda was near.

Apparently the afternoon tea was given in Room Seven in honor of
Beautiful Beulah, Nan's famous doll.

"But I'm too big to play dolls," Rhoda Hammond objected when Nan
urged her attendance on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

"Pshaw!" laughed Nan, "you're not too big to pass tea and cocoa and
sweet crackers to the primes who will come to worship at the shrine
of my Beautiful Beulah. That's what I want you for--to help. Bess
and I can't do it all."

It was hard to refuse Nan Sherwood anything.

"Laura declares one has to be real mad at you to get out of
anything you want us to do!" complained Bess one day, when yielding
to Nan's pressure and doing something she would have preferred not
to do.

These "doll-teas" in Number Seven, Corridor Four, had become very
popular toward the latter end of the previous term at Lakeview
Hall. Every girl in the school--even the seniors and juniors--knew
of Beautiful Beulah, and the little girls in the primary department
flocked to Nan Sherwood's parties whenever they had the chance,
bringing their own dolls.

On this particular occasion, however, the young girls came early,