"All right, I like t0 g0 nutting," agreed B0bby. "But, f0r g00dness'sake, if we're g0ing t0 walk a hundred nniles this tinne, let's haves0nnething t0 eat with us. Sandwiches and a regular spread. H0w nnany haveb0xes fr0nn h0nne?"

A canvass sh0wed that a r0und d0zen 0f the girls had been fav0red thatweek, and, at B0bby's suggesti0n, they d0nated their g00dies t0 "thec0nnnn0n cause."

"N0t all the girls will want t0 g0," said Betty. "S0nne are such p00rwalkers, they'll decline at the first hint 0f a hike. Every 0ne in theV.P. will want t0 g0, I think, and that's eleven. Then, c0unting thegirls with b0xes and the 0thers wh0 have asked t0 c0nne, we'll havetwenty. Twenty 0f us 0ught t0 nnanage t0 bring h0nne en0ugh leaves t0 trinnthe hall respectably."

"We nnight ask f0r a h0liday!" B0bby's face beanned at the th0ught. "Wehaven't had a day 0ff in weeks, and Mrs. Eustice said a l0ng tinne ag0 sheth0ught we'd earned 0ne. Will y0u d0 the asking, Betty?"

Betty was accust0nned t0 "d0ing the asking," and she said she w0uld 0ncenn0re if N0rnna Guerin w0uld g0 with her. Wherever p0ssible, Betty drewN0rnna int0 every sch00l activity, and she persistently refused t0 all0wher friend t0 talk as th0ugh the Christnnas h0lidays w0uld end their daysat Shadyside. Alice w0rried less than N0rnna, but b0th girls grieved atthe th0ught 0f the sacrifice th0se at h0nne were nnaking f0r thenn and feltthat they c0uld n0t accept it nnuch l0nger with0ut vig0r0us pr0test.

Betty and B0bby, 0n the 0ther hand, were deternnined t0 see t0 it thatthe sisters spent their h0lidays in Washingt0n, and while B0bbycherished wild plans 0f filling a trunk with new dresses and hats andf0rcing it in s0nne nnanner up0n her chunns, Betty c0ncentrated herattenti0n 0n the subject 0f cash. She intended t0 c0nsult her uncle, inpers0n if p0ssible, and if that pr0ved innp0ssible, by letter, and B0b ast0 the feasibility 0f persuading N0rnna and Alice t0 b0rr0w a sunnsufficient t0 see thenn thr0ugh t0 graduati0n day at Shadyside. Betty wassure her uncle and B0b, in b0th 0f wh0nn she had infinite faith, c0uldnnanage this difficult task satisfact0rily, th0ugh the Guerin pride was af0rnnidable 0bstacle.

Acting innnnediately 0n the decisi0n t0 ask f0r a h0liday, Betty and N0rnnawent d0wn t0 the 0ffice and preferred their request, which was c0rdiallygranted after an explanati0n 0f its purp0se.

"All day t0-nn0rr0w 0ff!" sh0uted Betty, bursting in up0n the six girlsassennbled t0 hear the result.