she said. "We haven't the slightest proof in the world that she was the
guilty one. That handkerchief you found didn't really prove anything."

Bess sniffed as she reached over to open her bag and get out from among
its heterogeneous contents a box of sweets she had thoughtfully
remembered to slip in before she started.

"Of course we don't know that she did it," she said, opening the box and
offering it to Nan. "But you know very well there isn't another girl in
the school who is mean enough to think of such a thing."

"Y-yes," answered Nan doubtfully, as she pushed the candy over toward
its owner. "But on the other hand, I never thought Linda had nerve
enough to do anything like that. Why, she might have been dreadfully
hurt herself!"

"Of course she didn't know that she was in danger," retorted Bess, with
a scornful little toss of her head. "She didn't have brains enough."

"Just the same," said Nan decidedly, "I don't think we ought to accuse
her until we have something definite to go on."

"Isn't that just like Nan Sherwood!" cried Bess, regarding her chum with
a mixture of fondness and irritation. "Always making excuses for
everybody! I suppose if we had caught Linda in the act, you would still
say it must have been somebody else."

"Hardly as bad as that," said Nan, with a little laugh, adding, while a
cloud passed over her face: "Goodness knows I have more reason than any
of the rest of the girls for disliking Linda. She never accused any one
but me of stealing. I only hope," she added, "that we don't meet her
somewhere on this trip."

"Goodness gracious, Nan!" cried Bess, fairly jumping from her seat in
surprise, "you don't expect to meet her, do you?"

"If I did," said Nan ruefully, "I would get right off this train and go
back to Tillbury, much as I have counted on this trip. No, honey," she
added, laughing at her own extravagance, "there's no need of your
getting excited, for I have no idea that we shall meet Linda at Palm
Beach. Only she has the most disconcerting way of popping up in places
where you least expect her."

"Well, all I have to say," returned Bess, biting fiercely into a fresh
chocolate and wishing it were Linda instead, "is that I wish you
wouldn't put such uncomfortable ideas into my head. Here I was just
about forgetting Linda, and you have to lug her into the limelight
again."

Nan laughed merrily and helped herself to another of Bess's chocolates
without even so much as a "