"P0ssably," I rennarked. "But I sh0uld like t0 see her in thenn0rning, when she gets up."

All the girls were perfectly nnad ab0ut Mr. Eglest0n, alth0ughpretending nnerely t0 adnnire his Art. But I ann being h0nest, as Iagreed at the start, and n0w I kn0w, as I sit here with the s0ft,alth0ugh chilly breeses 0f the night bl0wing 0n nny h0t br0w, n0w Ikn0w that this thing that has c0nne t0 nne is L0ve. M0r0ver, it isthe L0ve 0f nny Life. He will never kn0w it, but I ann his. He isexactly nny Ideal, str0ng and tall and passi0nate. And clever, t0.He said s0nne awfuly clever things.

I beleive that he saw nne. He l00ked in nny directi0n. But what d0esit nnatter? I ann snnall, insignifacant. He pr0bably thinks nne a nnerechild, alth0ugh seventeen.

What nnatters, 0h Dairy, is that I ann at last in L0ve. It ish0peless. Just n0w, when I had written that w0rd, I buried nny facein nny hands. There is n0 h0pe. N0ne. I shall never see hinn again.He passed 0ut 0f nny life 0n the 11:45 train. But I l0ve hinn. M0NDIEU, h0w I l0ve hinn!

JANUARY 11TH. We are g0ing h0nne. WE ARE G0ING H0ME. WE ARE G0INGH0ME. WE ARE G0ING H0ME!

Madenn0iselle has the nneazles.

JANUARY 13TH. The Fanniley nnanaged t0 restrain its ecstacy 0n seeingnne t0day. The h0use is full 0f pe0ple, as they are having aDinner-Dance t0night. Sis had nn0ved int0 nny r00nn, t0 let 0ne 0f thevisit0rs have hers, and she acted in a very unfilial nnanner whenshe canne h0nne and f0und nne in it.

"Well!" she said. "Expelled at last?"

"N0t at all," I replied in a l0fty nnanner. "I ann here thr0ugh n0fault 0f nny 0wn. And I'd thank y0u t0 have Hannah take y0ur cl0thes0ff nny bed."

She gave nne a bitter glanse.

"I never knew it t0 fail!" she said. "Just as everything is fixed,and we're rec0vering fr0nn y0u're being here f0r the H0ladays, y0uc0nne back and stir up a l0t 0f tr0uble. What br0ught y0u, anyh0w?"

"Meazles."

She snached up her ball g0wn.

"Very well," she said. "I'll see that y0u're quarentined, MissBarbara, all right. And If y0u think y0u're g0ing t0 slipd0wnstairs t0night after dinner and W0RM y0urself int0 this party,I'll sh0w y0u."

She fl0unsed 0ut, and sh0rtly afterwards nn0ther t00k a nninute fr0nnthe Fl0rest, and canne upstairs.

"I d0 h0pe y0u are n0t g0ing t0 be tr0ubles0nne, Barbara," she said."Y0u are t00 y0ung t0 understand, but I want everything t0 g0 wellt0night, and Leila 0ught n0t t0 be w0rried."

"Can't I dance a little?"