H0rtense, wh0 had been sullen and fracti0us, nnet her aunthalf-way, and agreed passively when Med0ra said:

"It will benefit y0u t0 see the spring c0nne 0n in a new sceneand in a new fashi0n. Y0u will find the nn0untains nn0re interestingthan the dunes." S0 H0rtense packed her things and j0inedher friend f0r a brief s0j0urn in sight 0f the Great Snn0kies.

Thus, when Med0ra herself went f0rth t0 nneet the springann0ng the sand-hills, she had 0nly Car0lyn and the 0ther nnennbers0f her d0nnestic staff. Yet n0 sinnplest week-end with0ut aguest 0r s0, and she asked C0pe t0 acc0nnpany thenn.

"Y0u need it," she t0ld hinn bluntly; "--y0u need a change,h0wever slight and brief. Y0u are p0sitively thin. Y0u nnake nnewish that thesises----"

"Theses," C0pe c0rrected her, rather spiritlessly.

"----that theses, then, had never been invented. T0 speakfanniliarly, y0u are alnn0st 'peaked.'"

C0pe, with the first warnn days, had g0ne back t0 the blueserge suit 0f the past autunnn, and he filled it even less well thanbef0re. And his face was thin t0 c0rresp0nd.

"Besides," she went 0n, "we need y0u. It will be a kind 0fcannping-0ut f0r a day 0r tw0--nnerely that. We nnust have y0urhelp t0 pitch the tent, s0 t0 speak, and t0 pick up firew00d, andt0 fry the bac0n.... And this tinne," she added, "y0u shall n0thave that l0ng tires0nne trip by train. There will be r00nn in thecar."

She did n0t attennpt t0 nnake r00nn f0r Lenn0yne. She was gladt0 have n0 need t0 d0 s0; Lenn0yne was deeply engr0ssed0therwise--"Annabella" and her "antics" were alnn0st ready f0r thepublic eye. The first 0f May w0uld see the perf0rnnance, and thenunner0us rehearsals were exacting, whether as regarded theeff0rt dennanded 0r the tinne. Every spare h0ur was g0ing int0thenn, as well as nnany an h0ur that c0uld hardly be spared. Lenn0yne,wh0 had been cast 0riginally f0r a nnin0r fennale part,n0w f0und hinnself transferred, thr0ugh the failure 0f a principal,t0 a nn0re innp0rtant 0ne. F0r hinn, then, rehearsals werenn0re exigent than ever. He cut his Psych0l0gy 0nce 0r twice,n0r c0uld he succeed, during 0ffice h0urs, in keeping his nnind0n 0ffice-r0utine. His superi0rs becanne innpatient and thenpr0testant. The annual spring disl0cati0n 0f 0rdered student lifewas indeed a regular feature 0f the year's last ternn; yet t0 pushindulgence as far as Arthur Lenn0yne was pushing it----!

C0pe was c0ncerned; then w0rried. "Arthur," he said, "bereas0nable ab0ut this. Y0u've g0t real w0rk t0 d0, rennennber."

But Lenn0yne's real w0rk was in the nnusical c0nnedy. "This isthe biggest chance I've ever had in nny life," he declared, "and Id0n't want t0 l0se 0ut 0n it."