“Yes,” said Lina; “and oh, girls,” she went on, with gloomy energy, “we don't have any good times at all compared with those boys. They do really wicked things, hook apples, and carry off people's gates and signs, and screw up tutors' doors in the night, and have fights with what he calls 'townies,'--I don't know exactly what they are,--and everything. I thought before that we were doing some things too, but we 're not, compared with all that, and I shall be so ashamed when I meet him at home not to have anything to tell except little bits of things.” A depressing pause followed. Lina's disparaging view of achievements in the way of defying the proprieties, of which all the girls had been very proud, cast a profound gloom over the circle. The blonde seemed to voice the common sentiment when she said, resting her chin on Lina's knee, and gazing pensively at the wall:-- “Oh, dear! that comes of being girls. We might as well be good and done with it. We can't be bad so as to amount to anything.” “Good or bad, we must eat,” said Nell Barber. “I must go and get the spread ready. I forgot all about it, Lina; but we came in just to invite you. Eleven sharp, remember. Three knocks, a pause, and another, you know. Come, girls.” The brunette followed her, but Lina's little sweetheart remained. “What have they got?” demanded the former listlessly. “Oh, Nell has a jar of preserves from home, and I smuggled up a plate of dried beef from tea, and cook let us have some crackers and plates. We tried hard to get a watermelon there was in the pantry, but cook said she did n't dare let us have it. It's for dinner to-morrow.” Lina's eyes suddenly became introspective; then after a moment she rose slowly and stood in her tracks with an expression of deep thought, absent-mindedly took one step, then another, and after a pause a third, finally pulling up before the mirror, into which she stared vacantly for a moment, and then muttered defiantly as she turned away:-- “We 'll see, Master Charley.” “Lina Maynard, what's the matter with you?” cried the blonde, who had watched the pantomime with open mouth and growing eyes. Lina turned and looked at her thoughtfully a moment, and then said with decisiveness:-- “You just go to Nell's, my dear, and say I 'm coming pretty soon; and if you say anything else, I 'll--I 'll never marry you.” The girls were in the habit of doing as Lina wanted them to, and the blonde went, pouting with unappeased curiosity.