e?"

Julia hung her head and made no reply.

"I will tell you the reason, Miss Crosby," said the principal. "You
already knew that permission had been granted the sophomore team, did you
not?"

"Yes," said Julia very faintly.

"Very well. You are guilty of two serious misdemeanors. You purposely
misrepresented matters to Professor Cole and deliberately put aside my
authority; not to mention the unwomanly way in which you behaved toward
the sophomore team. Every girl who aided and abetted you in this is
equally guilty. Therefore you will all learn and recite to me an extra
page in history every day for two weeks. The use of the gymnasium will be
prohibited you for the same length of time, and if such a thing ever again
occurs, the culprits will be suspended without delay. You may be seated."

The dazed juniors sank limply into their seats. The tables had been turned
upon them with a vengeance. A page of history a day was bad enough, but
the loss of the gymnasium privilege was worse. The opening game was only
two weeks off, and they needed practice.

Julia Crosby put her head down on her desk and wept tears of rage and
mortification. The rest of the girls looked ready to cry, too.

The first bell for classes sounded and the girls picked up their books. At
the second bell they filed out through the corridor to their various
recitation rooms. As Grace, who had stopped to look for a lost pencil,
hurried toward the geometry classroom, she passed Julia Crosby, who was
moping along, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. Julia cast an angry
glance at Grace, and hissed, "tale-bearer."

Grace, inwardly smarting at the unjust accusation walked on without
answering.

"What did I tell you about the way of the transgressor?" said Anne to
Grace, as they walked home from school that day.

"It certainly is hard enough this time," said Grace. "But," she added, as
she thought of Julia Crosby's recent accusation, "the way of the righteous
isn't always easy."

CHAPTER III

A GENEROUS APPEAL

The juniors themselves hardly felt the weight of their punishment more
than did Grace Harlowe. Her heart was set on winning every basketball game
of the series. But she wished to win fairly and honestly. Now, that the
juniors had been forbidden the use of the gymnasium, the sophomores might
practise there to their heart's content. But was that fair? To be sure the
juniors had deserved their punishment, but what kind of basketball