ed over the books on the
table, then, darting to the closet, searched the pockets of her long
coat.

"Where can it be?" she cried despairingly. "I am sure I had it when I
came into the hall last night. I couldn't have lost it on my way across
the campus. I'll run down and ask Anne. Perhaps she picked it up and put
it away for me."

Grace hurried downstairs as fast as her feet would carry her. To her low
inquiry in Anne's ear she received a disappointing answer. Anne, who was
just finishing her breakfast, replied that she had not even seen the
theme. She rose at once to accompany Grace upstairs. The two girls
searched in every nook and corner of the room. "I wanted to hand it in
this morning," lamented Grace. "Now I'll have to write it all over
again. I don't believe I can remember much of it, either. I'll have to
explain to Miss Duncan, too, and ask her to give me until to-morrow to
write it."

"Perhaps it will be found yet," comforted Anne.

"No danger of it, unless I lost it in the street. Then there's only one
chance in a thousand of its turning up," declared Grace gloomily. "I
don't see how I happened to be so careless."

"When must it be handed in?" questioned Anne.

"This morning," answered Grace dolefully. "I'll have to rewrite it
to-night and from memory, too."

"Why don't you choose another subject?" was Anne's advice.

"No." Grace shook her head positively. "I can do better with the old
one. I'm not going to bother about asking if any one has found it. My
name was on it. If I made a fuss over it some one might say it was only
an excuse, that I hadn't really lost it, but just wished to gain time. I
hope Miss Duncan won't think that."

"No one in this house would say so," contradicted Anne loyally.

"But suppose Alberta Wicks or Mary Hampton heard of it? They might
circulate that rumor. I hate to seem so suspicious, but an ounce of
prevention, you know. I will write it over and say nothing further about
it." Having made up her mind on the subject Grace promptly dismissed it
from her thoughts.

Miss Duncan did look rather suspiciously at Grace as she related her
misfortune. Grace's gray eyes met hers so fairly and truthfully,
however, that she was forced to believe the young woman's statement. She
gave the desired respite rather ungraciously and Grace took her place in
class, relieved to think she had got off so easily. That night she
rewrote the theme. It did not give her as much trouble as she had