Top Self probably had any number of arguments besides; these flashed
through her mind in a second, but Deep-Down Self answered them in a most
wonderful way and just as quickly. Thinking about it afterwards, Judith
couldn't understand how the most important thing that had happened to
her during the whole year could have occurred in a second or two, and
she found it very difficult to put into words, even for herself, just
how Deep-Down Self had conquered. It seemed as if suddenly those who
stood for the best and finest things in York Hill rose in her mind and
confronted Top Self--Catherine, Nancy, Josephine, Eleanor, Miss
Marlowe, Miss Ashwell, Miss Meredith--and when Judith had seen them she
turned again to Top Self--but Top Self had gone!

It had only taken a second of time, but even in that second fresh
tragedy had been added. The wig was a beautiful golden blonde!

"Quick, give me the powder," Miss Marlowe was saying. "Somebody get the
charcoal; we'll have to streak it a bit to make it grey."

Judith managed to get charcoal before any one else, and then said
desperately,

"It's my fault as much as Josephine's, Miss Marlowe--more mine, for
Patricia told me to be sure to remind Josephine."

"You, Judith?" said Miss Marlowe coldly. "I AM surprised,"--and she
wasted no more time on Judith, who went away feeling that she could
never be happy again.

Judith didn't go back to Nancy, she wanted to be alone. Her humiliation
was very real--not because she had forgotten, though it HAD hurt her
pride to think that she had been careless. But there was a deeper hurt
than that--she had actually hesitated to take her share of the blame, in
spite of precept and example in her home, and here this year at York
Hill. She had almost done something quite dishonourable.

"They'd despise me if they knew," thought Judith, crouching down behind
some scenery and wishing that she could run away instead of waiting to
help. "Why, oh, why do I make so many mistakes and fail so often? But I
won't--I won't let that horrid little Top Self conquer"--and, interested
in the working of her own mind, she paused a moment to consider how
curious it was that all those faces should rise to aid her just when she
needed them--"Seemed almost as if they WERE Deep-Down Self--but of
course they couldn't be, because that's me--but it's queer--they seemed
like a part of me too--"

Just then Catherine on her way to the stage caught sight of Judith, a
crump