The first thing Mary Jane did when she wakened the next morning was to run and look out of the window. All their plans for the day depended upon the weather. Year after year the Harvard commencement had been held in Sanders Theatre, one of the rooms in Memorial Hall, and as the graduating class was always so large and the theatre so small in comparison, it was impossible for each student to have more than one ticket—and of course that meant that Mary Jane was not to go. But this year, partly through the influence of her own Uncle Hal, it had been decided to hold the exercises in the Stadium—if the weather permitted. And that meant that Mary Jane could go; in fact, she had the ticket all ready, the ticket marked so plainly "not good in case of rain."
A glance at the sky showed her she was not to be disappointed. It was clear and blue and the few dainty white clouds scattered about looked as unlike rain clouds as could be. It was a perfect June day.
"Goody!" she exclaimed, as she ran back to take a peep at the precious ticket. Not many little girls of six ever went to a Harvard commencement, and Mary Jane guessed that she was very fortunate.
Mrs. Merrill suggested that as both girls had had a good night's sleep, they dress and take a bit of a walk before breakfast, stopping on the way for Mary Jane's shoes which were to be ready. So Mary Jane slipped on a dark gingham dress after her bath, and they started out. There was only time for a short walk as they were tempted into the library and lingered to enjoy the pictures. Mary Jane knew the story of the Holy Grail, as every girl should, and she and Alice both enjoyed looking at the lovely paintings.
"Let's come again!" exclaimed Alice as her mother reminded them that they simply must not stay any longer now, as Uncle Hal would be waiting.
"Oh, I just love it here!" whispered Mary Jane as they walked down the broad marble staircase. "Doesn't it make you feel like a princess in your own castle? I can just see my subjects walking behind holding up my train and thinking how grand and lovely I look."
"Seems to me a good many things make you feel 'like a princess,'" said Mrs. Merrill smilingly, "the swan boats and now the marble stairs of the library."
"Well, I guess Boston must be a princess-y sort of a place," replied Mary Jane, "'cause I never felt that way in Chicago. I like Boston. I like Chicago too," she added loyally, "but Boston is more princess-y feeling."
They crossed the Square and hurried up to their room to dress. The girls were to wear the dainty little organdies they had worn on Class Day. Mrs. Merrill had had them pressed and when the girls stepped into the room there they were on the beds—as fresh and crisp as new. And now that the new shoes were fixed with a soft pad of leather at the heel to keep them from slipping up and down and making a blister, there was nothing likely to mar the day.
It didn't take long to dress as everything was laid out ready, and soon the three Merrills were in the subway, dashing out to meet Uncle Hal at Harvard Square. There wasn't much time for visiting; and anyway, Mary Jane didn't feel much like visiting just "common-like" with a queer-looking uncle who wore a long black dress and had a funny pointed cap on his head. Her mother explained that it was a "gown" not a dress, and that all the students who graduated that day and all the men of the university wore them. Mary Jane had, of course, seen a good many of them on Class Day but she couldn't get used to her own Uncle Hal having such a funny gown.