"Gracious, but I was scared," she explained inelegantly, coming into Betty's room one night just after ten. "When Miss Stuart said 'You have credits enough to take your degree, Miss Ayres; I thought you understood that your junior rank was merely nominal, due to your irregular preparation,' I gasped out, 'But I don't have to take it now, do I, Miss Stuart?' She looked at me as if she thought I must be suddenly stricken with idiocy, and said she supposed not, but that she had never before had any one object to graduating too soon. I told her I thought plenty of people objected fast enough, but that I was the first one who had had a good excuse for telling her so. Then she laughed and we got quite chummy over the joys of being a Harding girl as long as possible."