ummed with her last year. She didn't like this Jane Allen any
better than we did. Then last spring she went riding and fell off her
horse and our dear Miss Allen picked her up and brought her home on her
own horse. Alicia wasn't hurt. She thought she was and that the Allen
girl was a heroine," glibly related Marian. "She listened to a lot of
lies Jane Allen told her about us and now she won't speak to either of
us. It's too bad, because we are really her friends and this Allen
person isn't. Some day we hope to prove it to her."

"This Jane Allen must be a terrible mischief-maker," was Elsie's
opinion. "I told her what I thought of her the afternoon she came."

"You did?" exclaimed Marian.

"Yes, sirree. I went straight to her room and spoke my mind. I was so
furious with her. The very next morning Mrs. Weatherbee put me at the
same table with her. It was my first meal at the Hall. I went to
Rutherford Inn for luncheon and dinner. I was hungry and thought maybe
the meals wouldn't suit me. They're all right, though. When I saw her at
the table I was going to balk about sitting there, then I changed my
mind. I had as much right to be there as she. I told her that, too."

"Some little scrapper," murmured Maizie.

There was cunning significance, however, in the slow glance she cast at
Marian.

"What did she say to you?"

Marian had returned Maizie's glance with one of equal meaning.

"Not much of anything. I didn't give her a chance," boasted Elsie. "That
little French girl snapped me up in a hurry. She's awfully pretty,
isn't she?"

"She's a little cat," retorted Marian. "Look out for her. She's too
clever for you. Her mother's Eloise Dupree, the dancer. She dances too.
They're friends of President Blakesly's. She's awfully popular here and
afraid of nobody. She's devoted to Jane Allen, though, so that settles
her with me."

"Is Dorothy Martin at your table?" asked Maizie.

"Yes. I don't like her."

"She's a prig," shrugged Maizie.

"Edith Hammond used to sit there. Do you know her?" queried Marian of
Elsie.

"She's not here any more. She's going to be married. I heard this
Dorothy talking about her yesterday to Miss Dupree."

"Glad's she's gone. She was another turncoat. Hated Jane Allen and then
started to be nice to her all of a sudden."

"This Jane Allen seems to have a lot of friends for all you girls say
about her," Elsie asserted almost defiantly. "I detest her, but I notice
she's never alone. Th