"All right," agreed Nan. "The Committee on Entertainment will now go into executive session. What's your idea, Elizabeth, about buying every one of the two hundred girls at Lakeview Hall a twelve-and-a-half cent rubber doll?"
"Doll? Pah! your mind runs on dolls, Nan Sherwood. You are certainly getting into your second childhood," said Bess, with disgust.
"Do let's be serious," Bess begged again. "What is the most popular thing among the girls?"
"Yes--and I'm going to have a pair just as soon as mother sends me my next spending money."
"I'll buy you a pair," said generous Nan, quickly.
"No, you won't, silly! I'll not let you fritter away any of that perfectly splendid five pound note in foolishness."
"Oh!" responded Nan, drily, much amused to hear Bess Harley so very practical.
The practicality of the discussion might be doubted by anybody save boarding-school girls. Bess quickly proved to her own satisfaction, if not entirely to Nan's, that the small, "after-hours supper" was the most popular form of entertainment then in vogue at Lakeview Hall.
"You know, Cora Courtney and that crowd are always talking about a strawberry festival that she and Linda Riggs engineered last June. And now they are planning to have another big spread soon in some room on their corridor."
"Well," observed Nan, "we won't be invited to it."
"No. And they won't be invited to ours," cried Bess, promptly.
"It's just the thing," Bess pursued, very enthusiastic. "Eating promotes fellowship----"
"And indigestion," laughed Nan. "Especially such a combination as Laura had in her room the other night--sour pickles, ice-cream cones, and salted peanuts."
"Whew! that was fierce!" acknowledged Bess. "I didn't eat much; but I felt squirmy, just the same, after it. But if we give the girls the big eats, let's have something nice, but digestible."
"Let's!" agreed Nan. "Of course, it's against the rules----"
"Oh, dear, now! don't begin that," begged Bess.
"They all do it. If Dr. Beulah wasn't so awfully strict about our having what she calls a 'plain, wholesome supper,' and refusing to let us add sweets, and the like, to the supper bill-of-fare, I'm sure the girls wouldn't be dying for these spreads."
"If the girls had what they wanted at supper, Dr. Prescott would have to charge about twice what she does now for tuition and board at Lakeview Hall."