"Oh, how tall for that! I'm fifteen. But I have two older sisters, and they are always saying 'That child, Daisy,' as if I was about seven. How many sisters have you?" "None. And no father or mother." "You poor wretched orphan!" [Illustration: Helen's first day at Aldred House.--_Page 192._] "She doesn't look a bit wretched, Roxy Mays," said a girl who had been surveying her. "The juniors are all down there," nodding toward the lower end of the hall, "so you might have known she wasn't 'sweet and twenty.'" "At what age do you begin to grow sweet so as to get ready for the twenty?" "Oh, girls, don't let's hurry into the twenty. I'd like to stay sixteen three years, and seventeen four years." "I wish they'd made the years longer. There could have been another month or two put in vacation time." "What is Hope Center like?" asked one of the girls. "It doesn't sound like a city." "It's the country, farms mostly. North Hope is the real town part, and quite pretty, with stores, and churches, and a library, and a small but nice park." "There's a lovely old park here. Everything is old. There are the oldest women you ever saw. One of them shook hands with Lafayette." "And I've shaken hands with ever so many people and not a Lafayette or a Washington among them," declared Roxy most lugubriously. "Now look, girls, would you hang this picture here?" "I think it's rather dark. Bring it over here." "Yes, that's better. No one asks Miss Grant to sit down." "'No stars were shining in the sky-- There were no stars to shine.' No chairs were idly standing round, In schools they never do abound," laughed Daisy Bell. "Miss Grant, sit on the bed. It won't break down." "Oh, I don't mind," returned Helen. "What I am to do with all these things!" moaned Daisy, glancing helplessly about. "Miss Grant has begun sensibly. She did not cart a lot of truck away from home." Helen had a mind to say humorously "There was no truck to cart," but two others began to talk at once, and she wondered how they could say such bright merry things. It seemed as if she had never seen real girls before. Then Daisy finished up and they went down on the big back porch where chairs were plenty and hammocks were swung. Helen was introduced to another bevy of girls, some quite young ladies it seemed. They all went in to supper presently, and Helen found herself next to Daisy Bell. The six girls at this table were all young. Afterwards they went out of doors again and Miss Aldred joined them, welcoming several of the new arrivals personally. She had a very sweet face without being really pretty. She came over to Helen after a few moments and said in a low tone. "You are Mrs. Van Dorn's _protégée_. I hope you will be very happy among us." "Oh, I am sure I shall," returned Helen. At nine there was a hymn sung and a brief prayer. Then the girls dispersed, and at ten everybody was in bed. CHAPTER X BEGINNING ANEW