It was half-past ten o'clock before the entire eighteen gathered in
Leslie's room. Both Natalie's and Dulcie's facial disfigurements were
such as to prevent their attendance of the dance. Leslie laughed
outright at sight of Dulcie. "You _are_ pretty," she jeered. Dulcie's
wrath rose, but she swallowed it. She did not care to be taxed further
about the trust she had betrayed. Margaret Wayne had twisted her right
ankle almost to the point of sprain. Harriet Stephens had a lump on her
forehead, caused by a forcible collision with the wall. Eleanor Ray
limped slightly from having her toes stepped on. These five declined
stoutly to leave the Hall again that night.

"You can't very well go; that's flat," Leslie agreed. "I ought to stay
here, too. See that." She turned her back, displaying a large
discoloration on one shoulder about two inches above the low-cut bodice
of the old gold satin evening gown she wore. She had not troubled
herself to dress in costume. "That's what happened to me when you girls
knocked me down and tried to walk on me. It is up to me to go over to
the gym. I'll wear a gold lace scarf I have. This will hide this bruise.
All of you who look like something had better go with me. I don't know
what Bean will do. No matter what she tells or how far she goes, you
girls are to deny to the end that you were at that house tonight. No
one saw our faces. Who, then is going to say, positively, that she saw
us, either at that house or on the campus? If we all say we were _not_
the ones who hazed Bean, _and stick to it_, I defy the whole college to
prove it against us."

CHAPTER XXV.

THE BITTERNESS OF DEFEAT.

What "Bean" intended to do in the matter of her recent hazing was a
question which worried the Sans considerably during the next few days.
The very fact that they had escaped, thus far, without even having been
quizzed by any of the students regarding that fateful evening puzzled
them. True, they suspected Marjorie's four chums and Leila and Vera as
having been among those who broke up the hazing party. They cherished an
erroneous belief, however, that there were at least fifteen or twenty of
the invaders.

It was gall and wormwood to those of the Sans who attended the dance in
its closing hour to see Marjorie, radiantly pretty, enjoying herself as
though she had never been through a trying experience only three hours
before. By common consent the rescue party, as well as Marjorie, paid no
more