the use of that term. _They_ had not settled in the least. Two of them
indulged in a louder burst of laughter than before, just as Mrs. Roberts
took her seat. Yet her face was in no wise ruffled.

"Good afternoon," she said, with as much courtesy as she would have used
in addressing gentlemen. "I wonder if you know that I am a stranger in
this great city? You are almost the first acquaintances that I am making
among the young people, and I have a fancy that I would like to have you
all for my friends. Suppose we enter into a compact to be excellent and
faithful friends to one another? What do you say?"

What were they to say? They were slightly taken back, surprised into
listening quietly to the close of the strange sentence, and then giving
no answer beyond violent nudges and aside-looks. What did she mean? Was
she "chaffing" them? This was unlike the opening of any lesson! It
certainly could not be the first question on the lesson-paper; nor did
it sound like certain well-meant admonitions to "try to improve the
opportunity" and "learn all that they could." With each of these
commencements they were entirely familiar; but this was something new.

"Do you agree to the compact?" she asked, while they waited, her face
bright with smiles.

"Dunno about that," said one whom she very soon discovered occupied the
position of a ringleader; "as a general thing, we like to be kind of
careful about our friendships; we might strike something that wasn't
quite the thing with people in our position. You can't be too careful in
a big city, you know."

It is impossible to give you an idea of the impishness with which this