Marjorie Preston was the happiest girl in the dining room the next morning.

It happened like this. Marjorie was late to breakfast. As she ran into the room, the headmistress put her bony hand on Marjorie's shoulder and began to ask her the reasons for her tardiness. Marjorie said quite truthfully that she overslept but when asked why she overslept, Marjorie said that she was reading a book under the covers until very late at night. The headmistress had never seen Marjorie express an interest in books before and therefore, she was skeptical. Still she let Marjorie take her seat because, after all, an interest in literature was to be encouraged.

Just then Agatha stood up and walked by Marjorie on her way to the ladies room. As she walked by, she placed a lovely little piece of Turkish delight on Marjorie's plate and whispered, "Thanks for not blabbing about the party." Then she added, "Sit with us at lunch?" and kept on walking without waiting for an answer. I suppose she felt certain that the answer would be yes. All the first year students still stared at Marjorie, but this time with a certain respect. Marjorie had often dreamed of having them look at her that way as if she was someone important and interesting. And that's why Marjorie was the happiest girl in the dining room.

While Marjorie ate the Turkish Delight, she remained in that state of blissful happiness, knowing her dream had come true. But after Marjorie finished the Turkish Delight and began to actually think about the invitation, she became more and more uneasy. She had not spoken to Lucy since the party. Her last glimpse of Lucy had been her tearstained face and her messy hair on Susan's shoulder in the dim light of the torch. Could she possibly tell Lucy that she was going to sit with the other girls at lunch instead of her? Lucy would be hurt, Marjorie knew. Marjorie knew it was her question about Christmas presents last night during the game of "Truth" that had caused Lucy to answer so strangely, to speak of magic and battles and Father Christmas and to burst into tears when Susan tried to explain her strange reply. Marjorie didn't understand what had occurred exactly but she had a vague sense of guilt. She couldn't desert her best friend now, not until she made matters right.

She'd have to say no to Agatha.

Say no? Her heart froze up at the thought. Could she possibly? Would she really dare to? Could she bear to? She might never, ever get a chance to sit with the older girls again. They might consider themselves snubbed and then they would hate her. And everything had been going so nicely! Marjorie considered pretending she was ill. She really did feel quite ill at the moment. But if she did pretend, the girls would simply extend their invitation for tomorrow and she would still be in the same dilemma. And she would definitely not be allowed to speak with Lucy today because Lucy would not be allowed to come near her. Visiting one's sick friends was forbidden at their school. Marjorie thought and thought about it during Geography and Latin and Math but did not come up with any creative solutions. Then it was time for lunch.

The girls had saved Marjorie a space, right in the middle of the table. For a moment, Marjorie pictured herself sitting with them, laughing and trading sweets, then she pictured Lucy's eyes...

"I think... I think it is best for me to... to sit with Lucy today," Marjorie said to Agatha, feeling ill and dizzy and terribly frightened. Agatha's mouth dropped open and remained that way and there were gasps of disbelief from Alice and Emily. " I would love to sit with you tomorrow though, really. You must understand, I'm her best friend and I can't desert her," Marjorie said, nearly crying and begging them to understand with her voice and eyes.

"Oh, we will try to survive this misfortune somehow!" Elizabeth said and Agatha coldly added, "Don't you worry, dear, we won't miss you."

Marjorie glanced at her shoes, blinking away tears and walked to the corner of the room by the window where she and Lucy always at lunch. Lucy was already in her seat. Marjorie swallowed and told herself to forget the incident. Lucy should not know that Marjorie ever had to make this choice. She would not know. Yet, for the first time, Marjorie felt not as if Lucy was choosing to sit with her but that she was choosing to sit with Lucy. And Marjorie felt a sweet sort of pride creep into her heart at the thought that she had made the right choice, that she had sacrificed and that she was a hero.

"Oh, Lu," she said. "Are you all right?" And continued without waiting for a reply, "I wanted to follow you last night but Susan told me to stay so I did but I felt awful about it! I know my question made you cry and I'm sorry for asking it and I hope you aren't cross with me?"

Lucy smiled and brushed a messy strand of hair from her forehead. "No, I'm not cross. I wasn't mad at you, you know, but at Susan."

"Why?" Marjorie asked. She had been wondering about that all night.

"Well, for making me go to that horrid party in the first place and for saying…terrible things there. Imagine, Marjorie, if I told someone that you weren't real!"

Marjorie couldn't quite imagine it. "Oh, Lucy, didn't you like any of the party at all? I…I thought it was nice," she confessed.

"The only nice part was when you got the ring," Lucy said. And then added, "I'm glad you got it and not me."

"You mean, you didn't want to get it?" Marjorie asked in amazement.

"Oh, but it wouldn't have been quite fair," Lucy said. "I used to get so many rings and necklaces before, so much more than you."

"Really? From who?" asked Marjorie.

"Friends," Lucy said.

"What friends?" Marjorie asked.

"Good friends," Lucy said.

Marjorie got the impression that they were playing some sort of unexplained game. Lucy had changed somehow overnight. Before, she would speak about magical countries and lions and wardrobes and other things that didn't make any sense. Marjorie had liked it, just like she liked everything about Lucy. Today, Lucy was being vague and evasive.

"What friends?" Marjorie asked again, this time with impatience. She felt that after her sacrifice she had the right to expect a direct answer to a direct question.

Lucy was silent. "Marjorie, do you think I am mad?" she finally asked.

Marjorie was too shocked to respond right away. "Certainly not!" she finally gasped.

Lucy smiled the smile that made her look, at once, like happy child and a serious grown-up. "I'm glad," she said. Then she spoke, "Queens always get a lot of presents. It's one of the many nice things about being a queen. Sometimes princes who asked for my hand would send me jewelry. But I didn't always feel right about taking it because I had to refuse them, you know. But when Peter or Mr. Tumnus or even a little village child gave me a ring I treasured it because it was a simple gift, given from the heart."

Marjorie leaned back in her seat and sighed as she closed her eyes. This was the Lucy she loved. But suddenly through Lucy's voice she heard the laughter of Agatha and her friends and felt a small drop of bitterness. If it wasn't for Lucy she'd be sitting with them.