er, they traced her to the
Clouds' house. At least, they came there about seven o'clock to
inquire and hoping to take her unaware. They had found Allison in a
great state of excitement, telephoning hither and yon to try to get
some clew to his sister's whereabouts. They had remained to advise and
suggest, greatly worried at the whole situation, the more so because
it involved Leslie Cloud, whose bright presence had taken great hold
upon everybody.

And now, without knowing it, Leslie Cloud had taken the one way to put
the whole matter into the right hands and to exonerate herself. If she
had known that any member of the faculty was in that room listening,
if she had dreamed that even her brother was there, she would not have
thought it right or honorable to put even an enemy in such a
position, either for her own sake or for the girl's. She had only
wanted some wise, true adviser to know the truth, so that the girl
might learn what was right and have the responsibility taken from her
own shoulders. She thought, too, that she had a right to be exonerated
before her aunt. So now, while she wept out her contrition in Julia
Cloud's arms, retribution was coming swiftly to Myrtle Villers; and
her career in that college was sealed with finality. It was only too
plain that such a girl was a menace to the other students, and needed
to be removed.

Presently Leslie, feeling something strange in the atmosphere, lifted
frightened, tear-filled eyes, and saw the grave faces of the dean and
his companions! She held her breath with suspense. How terrible! How
public and unseemly! She had brought all this upon herself and her
family by her persistent friendship with this silly girl! And she fell
to trembling and shuddering, all her fine, sweet nerve gone now that
the strain was over.

Julia Cloud drew her down upon the couch, and soothed her, covering
her with an afghan and trying to comfort her. Then the dean stepped
over to the couch and spoke to Leslie.

"Miss Cloud, you must not feel so bad," he said gently, as if she had
been his own child. "You have acted nobly, and no one will blame you.
You have perhaps saved Miss Villers from great shame and sorrow, and
you certainly have been brave and true. Don't worry, child," and he
patted Leslie's heaving shoulder kindly.

Presently the dean and his committee were gone, taking the cowering
Myrtle with them, and Leslie lay snuggled up on the couch, with
Allison building up the fire a