“Eh, my dear--I don’t understand,” said Miss Haddie thwarted and frowning. “Aw,” said Miriam, jabbing the table, “kicked the bucket.” “My dear child, you use such strange language--I can’t follow ye.” “Oh well, you see, he went to America. It was in New York. I heard about it in January. He caught that funny illness. You know. Influenza--and died.” “Eh, my poor dear child, I’m very sorry for ye. Ye _do_ seem to have troubles.” “Ah well, yes, and then the queer thing is that he was really only the friend of my real friend. And it was my real friend who told me about it and gave me a message he sent me and didn’t like it, of course. Naturally.” “Well _really_, Miriam,” said Miss Haddie, blushing, with a little laugh half choked by a cough. “Oh yes, then of course one meets people--at dances. It’s appalling.” “I wish I understood ye, my dear.” “Oh well, it doesn’t make any difference now. I shall hardly ever meet anybody now.” Miss Haddie pondered over the table with features that worked slightly as she made little murmuring sounds. “Eh no. Ye needn’t think that. Ye shouldn’t think like that.... Things happen sometimes ... just when ye least expect it.” “Not to me.” “Oh, things will happen to ye--never fear.... Now, my dear child, trot along with ye off to bed.” Miriam braced herself against Miss Haddie’s gentle shaking of her shoulders and the quiet kiss on her forehead that followed it. 4 The strengthening of her intimacy with Miss Haddie was the first of the many changes brought to Miriam by Julia Doyle. At the beginning of the spring term her two room mates were transferred to Julia’s care. The two back rooms became a little hive of girls over which Julia seemed to preside. She handled them all easily. There was rollicking and laughter in the back bedrooms, but never any sign that the girls were “going too far,” and their escapades were not allowed to reach across the landing. Her large front room was, Miriam realised as the term went on, being secretly and fiercely guarded by Julia. The fabric of the days too had changed. All day--during the midday constitutional when she often found Julia at her side walking in her curious springy lounging way and took the walk in a comforting silence resting her weary throat, during the evenings of study and the unemployed intervals of the long Sundays--Julia seemed to come between her and the girls. She mastered them all with her speech and laughter. Miriam felt that when they were all together she was always in some hidden way on the alert. She never jested with Miriam but when they were alone, and rarely then. Usually she addressed her in a low tone and as if half beside herself with some overpowering emotion. It was owing too to Julia’s presence in the school that an unexpected freedom came to Miriam every day during the hour between afternoon school and tea-time.