rth, my child? She has been operating this school successfully for
many years. She has the interest of each and every pupil at heart--she
knows their needs. She has perfect confidence in our physician."

"Yes, but Mary--one of the girls--said that he was awfully slow and old
fashioned, and I--"

"Mary Boyd is only a silly little girl. She wouldn't know the
qualifications of a good doctor if she were asked to give them. You
should never rely on immature judgment. It is apt to be colored with
prejudice."

Blue Bonnet got up.

"I reckon I have made a mistake, Professor Howe. I'm sorry. I was so
awfully worried and upset about Carita."

"Of course you were. I can quite understand that. On the other hand, we
do not expect you to love and trust us all at once. Confidence comes by
degrees; but we _do_ want you to believe that your _best_ interests are
considered here--always."

Blue Bonnet started to leave the room.

"One moment, Miss Ashe. Will you say to Fraulein Herrmann what you have
just said to me--that you are sorry--sorry for what she deems an
impertinence on your part in the study hall?"

Blue Bonnet flushed to the roots of her brown hair.

"But I am _not_ sorry, Professor Howe."

"Not sorry to have been rude, Miss Ashe?"

"I think Fraulein Herrmann was rude to me. She called to me before the
whole room--she--"

"You were disobeying the rules, Miss Ashe. Fraulein was right. Study
hour is not the time for letter writing. You will apologize, I am sure."

The little smile so rare and fleeting that Blue Bonnet loved appeared
for a brief second. It won the girl as nothing else could.

"I will then--to please you," she answered, and went to find Fraulein
immediately.

The day dragged on drearily. Blue Bonnet was unhappy and ill at ease.
Although Professor Howe had been so kind, she felt that she was by no
means out of the woods yet. There was still Miss North to reckon with,
and Fraulein Herrmann had been none too gracious about accepting her
apology. Perhaps they might still expel her. There was that Fanny Price
last year that the girls had spoken of. She had been sent away for
breaking the rules. What a blow it would be to Grandmother and the We
Are Sevens. They'd be disgraced forever--and Aunt Lucinda! The thought
brought terror to her heart. Why, Aunt Lucinda wouldn't be able to hold
up her head in Woodford.

It was getting on to four o'clock and still Cousin Tracy had not come.
Evidently Cousin Hon