of the
weeping girl.

"You might know that Mignon would bring trouble, hateful girl," was
Susan's indignant cry. "Never mind, we'll fix her."

"I'll do all I can to help you, Marjorie," soothed Irma, who was known
throughout the school as a peace-maker.

With a long, quivering sigh Marjorie turned slowly and faced her
friends.

"You are very sweet to me, every one of you," she said gratefully, "but,
girls, you mustn't say a word. I promised Connie, and I'll keep my word
until she releases me from that promise. I'm going over to see her
to-night to ask her to do that very thing. She'll say 'yes,' I know.
Then I can tell Mary and it will be all right. I'm sorry I made such a
baby of myself, but Mary and I have been chums for years--and----" Her
voice broke again.

Jerry wound her plump arms about the girl she adored. "You poor kid,"
she comforted slangily. "If you must cry, cry on my shoulder. It's nice
and fat and not half so hard as that old locker."

"You are a ridiculous Jerry," Marjorie laughed through her tears.
"There, I feel better now. I'm not going to cry another tear. Are my
eyes very red? I don't care to have the public gape at my grief. Come
on, children. It must be long after twelve. I suppose Mary is home by
this time. Naturally she wouldn't wait for me," she added wistfully.

As a matter of fact, Mary had waited. Once she had removed her wraps to
Mignon's locker she had been seized with a sharp attack of conscience.
She felt a trifle ashamed of herself and decided that she would ask her
chum to forgive her and allow her to put her wraps in Marjorie's locker
again. At the close of the session she made a hasty excuse to Mignon,
seized her belongings and hurrying out of the building, took up her
stand across the street. When at twenty minutes past twelve Marjorie did
not appear, her good resolutions took wing, and sulkily setting her face
toward home, Mary left the school and the chance for reconciliation
behind, and angrily went her way alone, thus widening the gap that
already yawned between herself and Marjorie.

It was twenty minutes to one when the latter ran up the steps of her
home in an almost cheerful frame of mind. The hall door yielded to her
touch and she rushed into the hall, her clear call of "Mary!" re-echoing
through the quiet house.

"I'll be down in a minute," answered a cold voice from the head of the
stairs.

"I'll be up in a second," laughed Marjorie, making a dive for the
s