There was a moment's pause while the fifteen uninvited guests took possession of the few chairs, window-seats and stools which the room afforded. "Miss Alden, you may answer first. What is the chief duty of every Freshman?" "To squelch the Sophomores," returned Dolly promptly. A deep groan sounded from all fifteen. "Wrong! Wrong! You have not the first idea of your fundamental duties. We shall be obliged to send you home, I fear. Miss Newby, answer!" "Most potent, grave and reverend Sophomores, the great duty of every Freshman is to try and become a Sophomore herself, so that she may try to impress unsophisticated Freshies with a sense of her own importance and make everyone forget that she herself was nothing but a Freshman one short year--" "Stop! Wrong! Wrong!" and a chorus of groans again broke forth. "The obvious duty of every Freshie is to run errands for the Sophomores and make life as pleasant as possible for them. Miss Alden, I see a banjo on the table there. Sing something to us." Dolly picked up the instrument with a mock-humble bow and touched the strings, a little uncertainly for a moment, but her touch soon became firmer, and a malicious little twinkle appeared in her eye. "Oh, these Sophomores, vain Sophomores, In all their swelling pride, I would to them the giftie gie, To see--" "Stop!" The fifteen rose majestically to their feet as Dolly, with assumed meekness, dropped her instrument at her side. "You may expect to hear from the faculty tomorrow. I regret that it is impossible for you to be retained at this hall of learning. Your influence would doubtless corrupt the other Freshmen, and teach them insubordination. You have also been guilty of greediness. I see the remains of a repast which you tried to conceal as we entered. You are ordered to pass that plate to your superiors." Elizabeth demurely obeyed the command. The bits of fudge were small, and there were just enough to go around. They were taken with great stateliness and dignity, but a moment later the room was filled with groans, coughs, shrieks and wrathful exclamations. "They would poison us!" "Let us be avenged!" "Choke them!" "Perish the Freshmen!" "Water, minions! water!" But Dolly and Elizabeth had taken good care that there should be no water at hand, so the unlucky Sophomores rushed away to their own rooms, followed by the taunting laughter of the two Freshmen and many gratuitous pieces of advice. "I wonder if they will try to pay us back," Dolly said, with sudden gravity. "No, tonight ends it all; Professor Graydon told me so. The Sophomores are allowed to air their new dignity this one evening, but nothing is tolerated after tonight. I do not think they came out much ahead of us. I must go now, Dolly, I wish I were your room-mate, but I presume that you will have a much more congenial one than I would be."