And so, after two weeks of unrewarded observation, "The Merry Hearts" forgot to speculate about the interesting faculty romance--if romance it was--and plunged whole-heartedly into the gaieties of spring term. First and foremost among them was of course the junior "prom." For weeks before vacation it had been a topic of absorbing interest, and now most of the juniors thought and talked of little else. Helen Adams begrudged the way the "prom." monopolized attention, supplanting all the impromptu festivities and throwing the man-less dances in which she delighted quite into the shade. One reason why Helen loved college so was because there were no men to bother about; but now for two weeks man was the sole topic of conversation, and to have a man, safe and sure, for the "prom." the desideratum of every junior. But Helen Adams was a "freak." Every other girl in 19-- reveled in the situation, though some, like Katherine Kittredge, scoffed unfeelingly at their friends' predicaments, and others, like Roberta Lewis, who had gathered courage to invite her cousin from Boston, were filled with secret misgivings and devoutly wished that their men would sprain their ankles (not seriously), like Alice Waite's tenth one, or be asked to go to Europe with a rich uncle, like Rachel Morrison's brother. For a "prom." is a great responsibility as well as a great joy.