med not at all disposed to talk
to any one.

"I've had it all out with Mrs. Willis, and there is no doubt she will be
exposed to-morrow morning," said Dora half aloud.

Hester, whose head was bent over her French history, looked up with an
annoyed expression.

"Who will be exposed?" she asked, in a petulant voice.

"Oh, how stupid you are growing, Hester Thornton!" exclaimed Dora; "why,
that horrid Annie Forest, of course--but really I have no patience to
talk to you; you have lost all your spirit. I was very foolish to demean
myself by taking so much notice of one of the little girls."

Dora sailed down the play-room to her own drawing-room, fully expecting
Hester to rise and rush after her; but to her surprise Hester did not
stir, but sat with her head bent over her book, and her cheeks slightly
flushed.

The next morning Mrs. Willis kept her word to Dora, and made the very
strictest inquiries with regard to the practical joke to which Dora had
been subjected. She first of all fully explained what had taken place in
the presence of the whole school, and then each girl was called up in
rotation, and asked two questions: first, had she done this mischievous
thing herself? second, could she throw any light on the subject.

One by one each girl appeared before her teacher, replied in the negative
to both queries, and returned to her seat.

"Now, girls," said Mrs. Willis, "you have each of you denied this charge.
Such a thing as has happened to Dora could not have been done without
hands. The teachers in the school are above suspicion; the servants are
none of them clever enough to perform this base trick. I suspect one of
you, and I am quite determined to get at the truth. During the whole of
this half-year there has been a spirit of unhappiness, of mischief, and
of suspicion in our midst. Under these circumstances love cannot thrive;
under these circumstances the true and ennobling sense of brotherly
kindness, and all those feelings which real religion prompt must
languish. I tell you all now plainly that I will not have this thing in
Lavender House. It is simply disgraceful for one girl to play such tricks
on her fellows. This is not the first time nor the second time that the
school desks have been tampered with. I will find out--I am determined to
find out, who this dishonest person is; and as she has not chosen to
confess to me, as she has preferred falsehood to truth, I will visit her,
when I do discover he