"It's Dickens," said Helen.
"1914 is the 'Dickens Class.' They began to read in the English Year—the year when all the topics were about England—so they took the name of an English author. Now if you've seen enough we can go over to the Hall of Philosophy for a minute before I must go back to my office."
The three girls were almost overcome by the wonder of being at Chautauqua only one day and meeting and talking with this officer whose name had been familiar to Helen, at least, for a long time. Her geniality prevented them from being speechless, however, and they walked across the open place with happy thoughts of all they would have to tell the family when they got home.
The rustic fountain was a gift from a C. L. S. C. class, they learned as they passed it, and here, ahead of them was the Hall of Philosophy.
"It's almost exactly like the picture in Helen's 'History of Greece,'" cried Ethel Blue, "the temple at Athens, you know."
"The Parthenon," murmured Helen.
"It does make you think of the Parthenon," said Miss Kimball. "In a small way this is beautiful, too, in its setting of green trees, though that was larger of course and its stone pillars gleamed against the vivid blue sky."
"You must have seen it," guessed Helen, struck by the enjoyment of Miss Kimball's tone.
"Ah, Athens is one of the joyous memories of my life!" she exclaimed.
Like the Amphitheatre the building had no sides. The dark beams of the roof were supported by pillars and the breeze blew softly through. Miss Kimball and the girls sat down to rest a while. A sort of wide pulpit faced them, and the chairs were arranged before it in a semi-circle.