Hail, Columbia! Irene, finding herself in her new form, looked round inquiringly.

A few of the girls with whom she had taken coffee were seated at desks in the same room, but the rest of the faces were unfamiliar.

Her teacher entered her name on the register, and seemed to expect her to understand the lesson which was in progress, but the subject was much in advance of what she had hitherto learned at Miss Gordon's, and it was very difficult for her to pick up the threads of it.

She grew more and more bewildered as the afternoon passed on, and though Miss Bickford gave her several hints, and even stopped the class once to explain a point, Irene felt that most of the instruction had been completely over her head.

It was with a sense of intense relief that she heard the closing bell ring, and presently filed with the rest of the school into the dining-room for tea.