Zaidee Crawford drew a long breath. She had almost courage enough to stand up for her, then she remembered some one had said you were never sure that some disgraceful thing might come out. Who knew anything about her father? There was a good deal of pride of birth at Mount Morris as is apt to be the case where well to do people have lived for a century or so. Louie sent a maid for her skirt and admitted that a tailor couldn't have done it better. "Only a week" the girls said with their good night to each other. Not that they were so tired of school, but Christmas was a joyous occasion, and going home a treat. CHAPTER VI AN ESCAPADE AND WHAT CAME OF IT The closing week of school was full of girlish excitements. Friday and Saturday most of the girls would go home. Christmas came on the following Monday. The Miss Kirklands were going to remain and devote the time to study. Alice Nevins and Elma Ransome had no homes to go to at present. Mrs. Barrington generally took this for a resting-up time. Louie rushed into Phillipa's room, breathless and eyes full of wonder. There was some fancy things strewn around. Phil and Zaidee were at some gifts. "What now? Has there been a mistake in the calendar and is Christmas put off and are we to be aliens from the family bosom?" Louie laughed and fanned herself vigorously. "I've been hearing wonderful things about that Clairvoyant. Do you really know what clairvoyance is? It isn't mere fortune telling. Madge Hayne went the other day and she was told some really remarkable things. They had not heard from that brother in a year and didn't know whether he was dead or alive. She said they would hear from him and that he would return soon with a fortune, and this very morning the letter came. He's been in Alaska and British Columbia and goodness knows where all, and he's tired of rambling and hardships. So he's coming home as he has made his pile, which I suppose means a fortune. They are all just wild with joy, and there are to be two marriages this year." "Then Madge's lover will get his promotion. That is what she is waiting for," laughed Phil. "But I have heard that the woman told some wonderful things." "And while we were abroad in the summer Aunt Kate and I took little tours around; we were at a Fair in a small town where there were some real Romany gypsies and one insisted on reading Aunt Kate's future. She spoke of mamma's walking without crutches, which we couldn't believe and said after we came home something mysterious would happen to us, that a member of the family would come from a great distance, that the person who had her in charge would die, but Aunt Kate laughed and said we had had no mysterious marriages nor sudden disappearances, so that could hardly come true."