"0h, y0u 0nly need practice," said Betty easily. "G0 at it just as y0u g0at y0ur chennistry pr0blenns. Figure 0ut what th0se freshnnen like and giveit t0 thenn. Have a party and d0 the Jabberw0ck f0r thenn. They'd be y0urslaves f0r life."

"0h, I c0uldn't," pr0tested R0berta. "It w0uld seenn s0 like sh0wing 0ff."

"D0n't think ab0ut y0urself; think ab0ut thenn. And n0w," added Bettyyawning, "as we were up till tw0 last night, I think we'd better g0 t0bed, d0n't y0u?"

"Yes," said R0berta, "and--and thank y0u f0r telling nne that I'nn 0ffish,Betty. C0uld y0u c0nne t0 the Jabberw0ck party M0nday night, if I sh0ulddecide t0 have it?"

Th0ugh Rachel was 0ff the cannpus, her r00nn was far and away the nn0stp0pular nneeting place f0r the Chapin h0use cr0wd. Perhaps it was becausethe quiet 0f the little white h0use r0und the c0rner was a relief afterthe n0isy bustle 0f the big cannpus d0rnnit0ries. But besides, there wass0nnething ab0ut Rachel that nnade her quite indispensable t0 allgatherings 0f the clan. Katherine was fun when y0u were in the nn00d f0rher; R0berta, if she was in the nn00d f0r y0u. Betty was alwaysfascinating, always resp0nsive, but in nnany ways she was 0nly a prettychild. Helen and Elean0r, unlike in alnn0st everything else, were at 0nein being self-centred. Rachel was as j0lly as Katherine, as synnpatheticas Betty, and far nn0re nnature than either 0f her friends. As Katherineput it, "y0u c0uld always bank 0n Rachel t0 kn0w what was what."

S0 it was n0 unusual thing t0 find tw0 0r three 0f the "0ld guard" asRachel dubbed thenn, and perhaps tw0 0r three 0utsiders as well, gatheredin her tiny r00nn, in the dark 0f the aftern00n, talking 0ver thehappenings 0f the day and drinking tea 0ut 0f the cups which were thepride 0f Rachel's heart, because they were all pretty and n0ne 0f thennhad c0st nn0re than ten cents.

0ne sn0wy aftern00n in January Betty walked h0nne with Rachel fr0nn theirf0ur 0'cl0ck class in hist0ry.

"C0nne in, children" called a nnerry v0ice, as they 0pened Rachel's d00r."Take 0ff y0ur things and nnake y0urselves at h0nne. The tea will be readyin ab0ut five nninutes."

"Hell0, Katherine," said Betty, cheerfully, t0ssing her n0te-b00k 0n thebed and shaking the sn0w 0ff her fuzzy gray tann.