The turning of leaves and rustling of paper ceased; evidently they were listening, but they gave no sign. Patty wrote a note on the door-block with reverberating punctuation-points, and then retired noisily, and tiptoed back a moment later, and leaned against the wall. Curiosity prevailed; the door opened, and a face wearing a hunted look peered out. "Oh, Patty Wyatt, was that you?" she asked. "We thought it was Frances Stoddard coming down to have geometry explained, and so we kept still. Come in." "Goodness, no; I wouldn't come in over an 'engaged' like that for anything. I'm afraid you're busy." The freshman grasped her by the arm. "Patty, if you love us come in and cheer us up. We're so scared we don't know what to do." Patty consented to be drawn across the threshold. "I don't want to interrupt you," she remonstrated, "if you have anything to do." The study was occupied by three girls. Patty smiled benignly at the two haggard faces before her. "Where's Lady Clara Vere de Vere?" she asked. "She surely isn't wasting these precious last moments in anything frivolous." "She's in her bedroom, with a geometry in one hand and a Greek grammar in the other, trying to learn them both at once." "Tell her to come out here; I want to give her some good advice"; and Patty sat down on the divan and surveyed the dictionary-bestrewn room with an appreciative smile. "Oh, Patty, I'm so glad to see you!" Lady Clara exclaimed, appearing in the doorway. "The sophomores have been telling us the most _dreadful_ stories about examinations. They aren't true, are they?" "Mercy, no! Don't believe a word those sophomores tell you. They were freshmen themselves last year, and if the examinations were as bad as they say, they wouldn't have passed them, either." A relieved expression stole over the three faces. "You're such a comfort, Patty. Upper-classmen take things easily, don't they?" "One gets inured to almost anything in time," said Patty. "Examinations are even entertaining, if you know the right answers." "But we won't know the right answers!" one of the freshmen wailed, her terror returning. "We simply don't know _anything_, and Latin comes to-morrow, and geometry the next day."