tle spirit of jealousy
began to whisper in Judith's mind. Top Self listened to his hints and
surmises: "Nancy doesn't care about you any more; she and Sally May have
secrets from you; perhaps they were laughing at you last night when you
heard them whispering." Deep-Down Self made protests, "Why couldn't
Nancy have two good friends? Of course she still loves you; you can't
expect her to be always with you."

But Judith's heart was sore, and a teasing remark of Sally May's as they
were dressing for the dinner entirely spoilt the evening for her. Sally
May came in to ask Judith to help her with a difficult fastener, and she
surveyed Judith's reflection in the mirror while Judith snapped the
refractory dome.

"You look stunning, Judy; I'm sure that if Tim could see you he would
return the compliment and say that you looked 'just lovely,'" she added
wickedly.

The colour flowed over Judith's face and then receded leaving her quite
white. So Nancy had told Sally May about her foolish speech in the
Christmas holidays! How horrid of her! How mean! Judith had almost
forgotten about Tim by this time, but her love for Nancy had steadily
grown, and Nancy had been making fun of her behind her back! Judith gave
herself up to angry thoughts; almost she hated Nancy; she wanted to go
away, to be alone, to hide some place; and instead she must go to this
miserable dinner and perhaps sit just across the table from Nancy. The
thought of Nancy's disloyalty hurt; it hurt horribly.

Judith finished dressing, put on her wraps, and went down to the
sitting-room to wait for the others. To her disgust she found Georgia
Fiske there, Georgia whom she positively disliked for no reason at all
and who looked up at her now with a beaming smile.

"I was just thinking about you, Judy," she said, "and wondering if you
had a partner. Do sit beside me. I'd have asked you before, but I didn't
know you were going till just a few minutes ago."

Poor Judith!--there was apparently no escape; she must sit beside
Georgia, and listen to her silly remarks. Judith was in no mood to be
fair to any one; she hated Georgia, she hated Sally May, she hated
Nancy.

The dinner-party was a failure as far as Judith was concerned. Miss
Meredith, stately and dignified in black velvet and beautiful old lace,
was a charming hostess, and the girls were soon talking naturally and
easily. Judith looked down the table at Nancy; she didn't want to look
at her and yet she must