o dozen for my own special
benefit the minute my check comes," laughed Judith. "I sha'n't give Jane
Allen one. I'll sit in a corner of our room and gobble them all up."

"I adore those cakes!" Adrienne clasped her small hands. "Would it then
be possible that I might have some to-morrow? Perhaps two dozen? Ah, but
I am not the greedy one. I will share with my friends, even most selfish
Judy."

This provoked a laugh at Judith's expense. So it was, however, that
Kathie received her first order which she agreed to deliver the next
day.

As a matter of fact, she had been the only one to demur when Freda had
announced that the Madison Hall girls were coming there that evening.
She had advanced the argument that "those rich Madison Hall girls won't
care to ask us to the dance when they see how poor we are." Now she
wondered how she could ever have so misjudged such a delightful lot of
girls.

CHAPTER XIII

THE EXPLANATION

When at length the quintette of callers regretfully agreed that they
must be getting back to the Hall, Freda said rather nervously:

"Please don't go just yet. I--we--there is something we think we ought
to tell you."

"Very well, tell us," invited Judith gaily.

She had an idea that the something might relate to the all-important
question of gowns. If Freda were worrying over that, Judith proposed to
dismiss the subject lightly. Precisely the same thought had occurred to
Jane, who noted Freda's sudden flush and evident confusion.

"Something--well--not very pleasant happened this afternoon," Freda
continued. "A--we had a caller--a girl----Why shouldn't I be frank? This
girl was of the freshman class. We saw her at class meeting the other
day, but we have never been introduced to her. She brought a paper with
her and asked us to sign it. It was about three of you girls; Miss
Allen, Miss Dupree and Miss Stearns, and----"

"About us?" chorused a trio of astonished voices.

"Yes," nodded Freda, her color heightening. "It began, 'We, the
undersigned,' I can't recall the exact words, but it was an agreement
not to accept an invitation from any one of you to the dance or to
notice you throughout the year, because of the discourteous and hateful
way you had treated a member of the freshman class. There were----"

"How perfectly disgraceful!" burst indignantly from Judith. "What did I
tell you, girls? I knew there was something wrong. We didn't expect to
find it out in this strange way, thou