e, rather than
betray the girl who had confided in her. Jean's conscience lashed her
sharply for her stubbornness and selfish ingratitude. If only she had
been frank in the beginning. Miss Harlowe would have explained all to
Miss Wilder, and Miss Wilder would have been satisfied. Then she would
have had no sale of her wardrobe, and Miss Harlowe would have been
spared all this miserable trouble.

What a failure she had made of her freshman year? She had made few
friends except Althea and her chums. They were shallow and selfish to a
fault. She had held herself aloof from the Harlowe House girls, who,
notwithstanding their good nature, showed a slight resentment of her
proud attitude toward them and her absolute refusal to join in the work
of the club. Since the day when Evelyn had taken her to task for
disobeying Grace the two girls had exchanged no words other than those
which necessity forced them to exchange. Evelyn had not forgiven Jean
for her passionate advice to her to mind her own affairs. Jean, knowing
Evelyn's resentment to be just, cloaked herself in defiance and ignored
her roommate. Little by little, however, the cloak dropped away and Jean
began to long for Evelyn's companionship. The yellow crepe gown and the
beautiful evening coat still lay in the bottom of Jean's trunk. In her
own mind she knew that she had begun to hope for the time when she and
Evelyn would settle their differences. She would then give Evelyn the
belated Christmas gift. She grew daily more unhappy over their
estrangement, and heartily wished for a reconciliation. Yet she was
still too proud to make the first advances.

It was hardly likely that Evelyn would make the first sign. Her pride
was equal to, if not greater, than Jean's. She, who abhorred prying and
inquisitiveness, had been accused by Jean of meddling in her affairs.
Evelyn vowed inwardly never to forgive Jean. So these two young girls,
each stiff-necked and implacable, dressed, studied and slept in the same
room in stony silence, passing in and out like two offended shadows.
Gradually this strained attitude became so intolerable to Jean that she
longed for some pretext on which to make peace. As she sat at the window
wondering what she could do to atone for her fault the door opened and
Evelyn entered the room. A swift impulse seized Jean to lift the veil of
resentment that hung between them. She half rose from her chair as
though to address Evelyn. The latter turned her he