Now Cathalina had not fancied Isabel very much. Isabel’s slangy speech and pert ways did not attract her, though she tried to be friendly to the little girl. To tell the truth, Cathalina’s inclinations were not of the sort that admitted readily a number of girls to intimacy. That fact was of course a protection to her, but also kept off for a time at least, some of the girls who were worth knowing. Hilary at this time had the better attitude for girls’ school,—helpful, kind and pleasant to every one, yet independent, fearless on matters of right and wrong, and confiding her private affairs chiefly to that best of confidents, her mother. “Will you save my life, Cathalina?” asked Isabel brightly, as she sat down on a convenient rock at Cathalina’s feet. She secretly admired Cathalina very much and wished that she could be like her. She also felt Cathalina’s disapproval of her rough ways, but from some spirit of perverseness, was moved to be a little worse than usual when in Cathalina’s presence. This afternoon, however, a different spirit established itself. Isabel’s artistic eye and spiritual sense were touched by something “angelic”, as she called it, about Cathalina’s serious face and dreamy expression, while Cathalina thought that she had never known Isabel so sensible and sweet. “How can I ‘save your life,’ Isabel?” asked Cathalina at last, remembering Isabel’s greeting which had been forgotten in the talk which followed. Mischief came back into Isabel’s eyes. “You are not taking German are you?” “No.” “Does anybody but Hilary and a few of us know that you can speak it?” “No.” “Can you write it?” “Yes,” and Cathalina was laughing by this time. “I can’t say that I’m proud of it now. I’d rather remember my French.” “Well, this is the scheme. We want to get Dr. Carver out of her room a few minutes before Virgil begins, and after she has unlocked her door, of course. Virgil comes after lunch, you know. Some one of the class will put a note on her desk, without being seen, if possible. If she is seen and reported she won’t really know anything about it, for it will be handed her in the hall and we are going to pass it through several hands to some one who doesn’t know anything about our doings!” Isabel giggled. “We want to pretend the note comes from the German professor, just for fun. One of the girls has his initials, so it wont be ‘forgery’ for her to sign them to the note. Now will you write the script for us?” “Why don’t you write plain English?” “O she’d get on to the writing, and besides she’ll feel complimented at first sight. Patricia says she reads all those awful German books about Latin! She’ll take the note to him and they’ll laugh about it, that’s all. And we’ll have time to put our little present on her desk!”