t."

"What's this?" asked a cool pleasant voice behind them, and the girls
turned quickly to find Miss Walters looking on gravely. "What is it you
want to come to me about, Beatrice?"

But Billie turned all colors of the rainbow and stood as if stricken
suddenly dumb. A minute before she had been furious. Now she was only
ashamed.

How could she explain to Miss Walters without telling about Amanda? That
would be telling tales, and, in spite of her threat, that was the very
last thing Billie wanted or intended to do. Beneath Miss Walters' steady
gaze she hung her head.

"Come, speak up, Beatrice," Miss Walters commanded, not unkindly, for,
like almost every one in Three Towers Hall, she had come to love
reckless, sweet-natured Billie, and even laughed at her pranks in
secret. "I've asked you a question, and my girls are in the habit of
answering me."

"Please," said poor Billie without looking up, "I want to answer you,
Miss Walters, but I don't know how I can without t-telling tales."

"Was there a quarrel?" questioned Miss Walters, her face still grave,
for she disliked that kind of thing. "If you can't tell me about it
without telling tales," here the faintest of smiles flitted across her
face, "I want you at least to tell me that you are no longer angry and
that a scene of this kind will never happen again. Here, Beatrice, shake
hands with Amanda and be friends again."

Billie looked more startled at this than at anything that had happened
so far. Shake hands with Amanda? Pretend they were friends again? Why,
they never had been friends! Instinctively she put her hands behind her
back. Then she looked up at Miss Walters appealingly.

"Please, Miss Walters," she said, "won't it be enough, if I tell you I'm
sorry I made a scene and that I'll never do it again? I won't, truly I
won't."

"Yes, that will do," answered Miss Walters, her eyes really smiling now.
She was thinking that if she had had a daughter she would have liked her
to be like Billie. "Only remember, I have your word that it will never
happen again. Come now, it is almost time for afternoon class," and she
led the way back across the lawn.

The girls followed in groups of two and three while Amanda and the
"Shadow" brought up the rear. There was a smile on Amanda's face, and
for the first time since she had come to Three Towers she was exultant.
She had succeeded in making Billie furious, had seen her called to
account--gently of course, altog