he
theatre, but for them the foot-lights divided the two worlds, and they
wished no trespassing of the stage folks on their territory. Quite their
opposite were the girls who were desperately stage struck and cherished
secret designs on the stage. They were extremely friendly for the sake
of plying Anne with questions about her art. At first Anne's position
among her classmates was rather difficult to define. After the ball
which Elfreda had set in motion had rolled itself to a standstill for
want of more gossip to keep it going, Grace saw with secret trepidation
that despite the loyalty of a few, Anne had lost caste at Overton.

"History is repeating itself," she remarked gloomily to Miriam, as
together the two left the library one afternoon and set out for a short
walk before dinner. "Anne told me last night that the girls in her
elocution class are very distant since she came back from New York. It's
Elfreda's fault, too. How could she deliberately try to make it hard for
a girl like Anne?"

A slow flush mounted to Miriam's forehead. She gave Grace a peculiar
look.

Grace, interpreting the look, exclaimed contritely: "Forgive me, Miriam.
I wasn't thinking of you when I spoke."

"I know it," replied Miriam. "It seems as though I can never do enough
for Anne to make up for behaving so contemptibly toward her in high
school."

"Anne had forgotten all that, ages ago," comforted Grace. "Don't think
about it again."

"I'd like to find an opportunity for a serious talk with Elfreda,"
returned Miriam. "I think I could bring her to her senses. She keeps
strictly away from me. She knows that I wish to talk with her, too. I
wonder how she likes rooming with Virginia, or rather how Virginia likes
rooming with her."

"She is furious with both Anne and me," declared Grace. "She won't look
at either of us. It seems a pity, too. She can be awfully nice when she
chooses, and I had begun to feel as though she belonged with us. Here we
are on the threshold of 'Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men,' and are
at odds with at least five different girls. Miss Alden doesn't like us
because Mabel Ashe does. Miss Gaines disapproves of us on general
principles. Miss Wicks and Miss Hampton dislike me for defending
Elfreda's rights. Elfreda thinks us disloyal and deceitful. And it isn't
mid-year yet. We are not what you might call social successes, are we?"
she concluded most bitterly.

"Still we have made some staunch friends like Rut