“Did he tell you?”

“Oh, no!  I heard it a good while ago.”

Miss Sniffen looked a little disappointed and turned down the hall.

Juanita Sterling closed the door of her room, struck a light, and threw her hat and coat across a chair.

On a small table a twin frame held photographs of a man and a woman.

She took it in both hands.

“Father, mother,—­dears! do you know that your ‘little girl’ is happy?—­happier than she has been since you went away?”

The last words broke in a sob; but the eyes that looked up into hers were smiling.

CHAPTER XXXIV

A MIDNIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

Juanita sterling was forced to hear much bantering in regard to her prolonged ride with the Home president; but she received it with the utmost good humor.  Not even to Mrs. Albright did she hint of the happiness that had come to her.  It would be known soon enough; to-day the joy was hers and hers alone.

“What would Blanche Puddicombe have said to see you go gallivant’n’ off to Bryston with her lover!” cried Miss Crilly.  “I wish she could have, I just wish she could have!  ’T would have been a picnic, sure!  Are you goin’ again, Miss Sterling?”

Juanita Sterling laughed, her cheeks coloring prettily.  “He didn’t ask me to go to-day.”

“Too bad!” cried the tease.  “But she blushes, so I guess she’ll go when he does ask her.”

“Perhaps she’s trying to cut out Miss Puddicombe,” suggested Miss Major.

“She hasn’t told us a thing he said to her,” winked Miss Mullaly.  “They had time for lots of love scenes all those long miles’”

“An auto isn’t the best place in the world for love-makin’,” giggled Miss Crilly.

“Now you stop bothering her!” cried Mrs. Albright.  “We’d every one of us give our eye-teeth for such a ride with the president, and you know it!”

“My!  I guess we would!” Miss Crilly performed a pirouette.  “I’d run my feet off to get into the car!”

“Well, what did you talk about?” queried Miss Mullaly coaxingly.

“Yes, we want to hear,” urged Miss Crilly; “so when we go with him we shall know what to say.”

“No danger of your not knowing what to say!” laughed Miss Major.

“Some of the time we talked about Belgian hare,” answered Miss Sterling demurely.

“Belgian hare!” grinned Miss Crilly.  “I bet you didn’t talk five or six hours about Belgian hare!”

Juanita Sterling chuckled gayly.  “He asked what I had for dinner yesterday, and I told him’”

“Honest?” gasped Miss Mullaly.

“Yes,” nodded the other.

“What did he say?”

“I don’t remember just what; but he was surprised.”

“I guess he was!  I hope it will set him to thinking.”

“Well, if I stay here fooling away all the forenoon, I shan’t get a credit mark for having my bed made early!” And Miss Crilly tripped off.