me to take the matter up with you in their
behalf."

Selina and Laura both looked amazement at this statement. It was
certainly not what they had expected. Dorothy too showed marked
surprise. An amused little smile hovered about her lips.

"It is nice in them to want me," she said gravely. "I appreciate their
loyalty. That is all I can say."

"That is hardly enough to satisfy them or me," replied the dean. "I must
ask you to tell me why you resigned your post."

"I would rather not answer that," Dorothy said with gentle firmness.

"Very well. I will ask you another question. Did you resign because you
considered that Miss Stearns had been unfairly treated at the try-out?"

Dorothy hesitated, then answered with a low, "Yes."

"Please explain in what way she was unfairly treated," relentlessly
pursued the dean.

"Miss Stearns made a better showing at the try-out than Miss Seaton. She
was one of the five best players. Miss Seaton would have ranked eighth
in my opinion. She was chosen instead of Miss Stearns."

"You were one of the judges, I believe?"

"Yes. My choice was Miss Stearns."

"You were also one of the judges, Miss Brown?"

The dean had now turned to Selina.

"Yes."

"And you, Miss Nelson?"

"Yes." A guilty flush dyed Laura's cheeks.

"Two against one in favor of Miss Seaton?" commented Miss Rutledge. "Let
me ask you two young women this. Were you both satisfied in your own
minds that Miss Seaton was the better player?"

"I was," declared Selina boldly.

"I--I----"

The scrutiny of the dean's steady eyes disconcerted Laura. She could
not bring herself to look into them and utter a deliberate untruth.

"I--it was hard to judge between them," she finally faltered.
"They--they were almost equally matched in my opinion."

"Still, you must have thought Miss Seaton a little the better player,
else you would not have chosen her," asserted Miss Rutledge smoothly.

"We had the right to our opinion," broke in Selina quickly, determined
to save Laura from crumpling to the point of blurting forth the truth.

"That is true," agreed the dean, "provided it was a fair opinion. Miss
Martin states that it was not."

"Miss Martin has no business to say that," retorted Selina hotly.

"She has, if that is her opinion. She has the same privilege that you
have," was the grave reminder. "According to the statement just made by
Miss Nelson, she was not at all sure of Miss Seaton's playing
superiority over