a talk
before going on to the Hall? Surely some very unpleasant news lay in
wait for her ears. But what? Jane had not the remotest idea.

"Now, Judy," she began with brusque directness the instant the quartette
were seated in the taxicab, "don't keep me in the dark any longer. You
must know how--what a queer feeling all this has given me."

Seated in the tonneau of the automobile, between Adrienne and Judith,
Jane turned hurt eyes on the latter.

"Jane," began Judith impressively, "before you went home last year did
you arrange with Mrs. Weatherbee about your room for this year?"

"Why, yes."

A flash of amazement crossed Jane's face.

"Of course I did," she went on. "Mrs. Weatherbee understood that I was
coming back to Madison Hall."

"Humph!" ejaculated Judith. "Well, there's just this much about it,
Jane. About nine o'clock this morning a little, black-eyed scrap of a
freshman marched into my room and said Mrs. Weatherbee had assigned her
to the other half of my room. I told her she had made a mistake and come
to the wrong room. She said 'no,' that Mrs. Weatherbee had sent the maid
to the door with her to show her the way."

"Why, Judy, I don't see how----" began Jane, then suddenly broke off
with, "Go on and tell me the rest."

"I didn't like this girl for a cent. Her name is Noble, but it doesn't
fit her. She has one of those prying, detestable faces, thin, with a
sharp chin, and she hates to look one straight in the face," continued
Judith disgustedly. "I went over to see Adrienne and Ethel and told
them. Then we all went downstairs to interview Mrs. Weatherbee. She said
you weren't coming back to Madison Hall this year."

"Not coming back to Madison Hall!" exclaimed Jane, her scowl now in
fierce evidence. "Did _she_ say it in just those words?"

"She certainly did," responded Judith. "I told her that I was sure that
you were and she simply froze up and gave me one of those Arctic-circle
stares. All she said was, 'I am surprised at you, Miss Stearns. I am not
in the habit of making incorrect statements.' Adrienne started to ask
her when you had given up your room and she cut her off with: 'Young
ladies, the subject is closed.' So that's all we know about it, and I
guess you don't know any more of it than we do."

"So _that_ was why you didn't want me to go on to the Hall until I
knew," Jane said slowly. "Well, I know now, and I'm going straight
there. Mrs. Weatherbee has never liked me. Still it's a