od rushed to her head.
The next moment she sprang out of bed.

"How dare you, how dare you say that?" she cried, her eyes all ablaze.

"Say what?" asked Miss Potter innocently.

"That. I won't foul my lips by repeating it. How dare you say it? How
dare you say that you didn't say it?"

"Well, you shouldn't listen," remarked Miss Potter sullenly.

Mavis advanced menacingly to the side of the girl's bed.

"If you think you can insult me like that, you're mistaken," said
Mavis, with icy calmness, the while she trembled in every limb.

"Haven't you been through Orgles's hands?" asked Miss Potter.

"No, I have not. I say again, how dare you accuse me of that?"

"She didn't mean it, dear," said Miss Allen appeasingly; "she's always
said you're the only pretty girl who's straight in 'Dawes'.'"

"Will you answer my question?" asked Mavis, with quiet persistence.
Then, as the girl made no reply, "Please yourself. I shall raise the
whole question to-morrow, and I'll ask to be moved from this room. Then
perhaps you'll learn not to class me with common, low girls like
yourself."

It might be thought that Mavis's aspersions might have provoked a
storm: it produced an altogether contrary effect.

"Don't be down on me. I don't know what's to become of me," whimpered
Miss Potter.

The next moment, the three girls, other than Mavis, were clinging
together, the while they wept tears of contrition and sympathy.

Mavis, although her pride had been cruelly wounded by Miss Potter's
careless but base accusation, was touched at the girl's distress; the
abasement of the once proud young beauty, the nature of its cause,
together with the realisation of the poor girl's desperate case, moved
her deeply: she stood irresolute in the middle of the room. The three
weeping girls were wondering when Mavis was going to recommence her
attack; they little knew that her keen imagination was already dwelling
with infinite compassion on the dismal conditions in which the promised
new life would come into the world. Her heart went out to the extremity
of mother and unborn little one; had not her pride forbade her, she
would have comforted Miss Potter with brave words. Presently, when Miss
Potter whimpered something about "some people being so straitlaced,"
Mavis found words to say:

"I'm not a bit straitlaced. I'm really very sorry for you, and I can't
see you're much to blame, as the life we lead here is enough to drive
girls to anything. If