"But think how mean it would be to have one of the We are Sevens out of school. You know how you love to 'have things complete,'" Amanda reminded her. "Yes, but--" she began; then feeling her grandmother's eyes upon her, failed to finish. It was odd how the girls took it for granted that she was going back with them. And she was not at all sure, herself. The girls had not noticed her hesitation, and were already exchanging other bits of home news and gossip. Alec alone was silent. Blue Bonnet, stealing a look at him saw that he had finished his letters and was staring moodily out of the window, unmindful of all the gay chatter about him. "Did you get bad news, Alec?" she asked him, later that evening, as he accompanied her to the stable to see Texas and Massachusetts. "That depends on the way you look at it. Boyd is coming back from Europe to take the West Point examinations--" Blue Bonnet smothered an exclamation: she had seen that coming. "--and Grandfather says that since the Army seems out of the question for me, he thinks I had better hurry home and take the Harvard exams. He seems set on it." "And you don't want to?" "It isn't to be thought of." Alec's mouth was very determined. Now why, if West Point was disposed of, could he not take the next best--or in her opinion the very best--thing that offered? It was on the point of Blue Bonnet's tongue to put the question, when Alec spoke again. "I've been putting off writing Grandfather,--what I told you a while ago,--thinking I might feel different after a time. But I'm more convinced than ever now. I had a long talk with Knight's friend 'Doc' Abbott, and he gave me a thorough going over, as he called it--" "And what did he say?" "He agrees with me, absolutely. There's no Harvard or any other college for Alec Trent--" "Oh, Alec!" Blue Bonnet was trembling. To hide it she bent and picked up little Texas, stroking one of his silky ears. The coyotes had been placed in the empty rabbit-hutch, and were growing prodigiously. "Well, it's better to know the truth and face it, isn't it?" Alec asked, as if rather resenting her tone. "Yes, but--I can't see how you can speak so lightly about it. It's so dreadfully--serious." "Lightly?" echoed Alec. "You're mistaken, Blue Bonnet. I know it's a mighty serious business for me. Why, if I could view it lightly, I could sit down and write Grandfather about it this very minute--" "Well, if you don't, I'm going to!" she declared. "Will you? Oh, Blue Bonnet, that's just what I've been hoping you'd do!" The relief in Alec's tone was unmistakable. "He's mighty fond of you, and I'm sure he'd consider that it came better from you than from me. And it will be a lot easier for you to do it, under the circumstances."