truth on account of the terrible
ending," said Mrs. Barrington gravely. "Two boys have been ill with what
their mother thought was measles. The doctor was not sent for until
noon, and did not get there until nearly six. He found one boy dead of
malignant scarlet fever, the other dying and one girl seriously ill. So
you see we cannot afford to have contagion brought in the house!"

"Oh, what a horrible thing!" Lilian cried. Then she faced Mrs. Dane.
"Oh, you are mistaken, as God hears me, I was not in that house nor on
that side of the street," and she almost gasped for breath.

"You may go to your room. You will be excused from study hour tonight.
We must consider. I am glad it is so near closing time."

Lilian felt like one dazed. Yet she was passionately indignant when she
had reached her room. There might be other blue Tams in the town but she
did not remember to have seen many in light blue except Miss Arnold's.
Somehow, Mrs. Dane had never taken to her cordially like Miss Arran and
the teachers.

Mrs. Barrington was much distressed. She had become warmly interested in
Lilian. She had smiled a little over Mrs. Dane's strictures.

"There's something about her, a sort of loftiness that doesn't belong to
her life, though she takes things with outward calmness, but I have a
feeling that some day she will break out in an awful tempest, and I
doubt her being that woman's daughter. Mrs. Boyd never talks frankly
about her," Mrs. Dane said, severely.

"But she is devoted to the poor mother."

"Well, it seems so," rather reluctantly.

After dinner Mrs. Barrington summoned Miss Arran and laid the matter
before her. She listened with a kind of terrified interest.

"I can't believe Miss Boyd would tell such a dreadful falsehood, when
she saw the necessity of the truth. Mrs. Dane has very strong
prejudices. That Nevins girl is about her size and has a long braid of
fair hair."

"Oh, she was in disgrace in her room, but what a horrible thing that it
should have gone on without even a physician, or any care to prevent the
spread of contagion. Well--I suppose tomorrow it will be all over town.
I gave Matthew strict orders to say nothing about it tonight."

Presently Mrs. Barrington knocked at Mrs. Boyd's door. Lilian opened it.
She had been crying. Now she stretched out her hands imploringly.

"Oh, Mrs. Barrington you cannot believe I would tell you such a cruel,
willful falsehood! I was not even very near that house. A