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Roberta looked disappointed. “Then Georgia Ames can only live till midyears. Well,” she added, brightening, “there’s a lot of time left before that, and, since she can’t live long, you must make her live fast, Madeline. Why, I can think of hundreds of lovely things you might do with her!”

“I know it,” said Madeline. “She certainly has splendid possibilities. Don’t you remember our talk about second selves? But you see I’ve rather lost interest in her, because I’m so dreadfully busy. Betty was right about second selves being more bother than help. I really haven’t the leisure to manage Georgia.”

“Oh, dear, what a splendid time you must have!” sighed Roberta. “I can’t imagine being too busy to manage a second self.”

Madeline laughed. “Oh, I’m not so particularly lucky,” she said, “except in being born easily amused. That’s one of the advantages of being born in Bohemia. But I’m afraid I’m fickle. It’s always ‘the last the best’ with me, and just now ‘the last’ is mushrooms. I’m studying them with Miss Stevens,—the new botany assistant, you know,—and they’re fascinating, not to mention their being very good to eat. I’m going to give a mushroom party next week for ‘The Merry Hearts.’ I’d thought of turning Georgia over to them, too.”