nd expressionless, was ashen, and she
shook with nervousness.

Blue Bonnet was horrified at her appearance and started for the door to
call Mrs. Goodwin or Miss Martin.

"Wait," Joy called, her eyes burning into Blue Bonnet's. "Wait!"

She pulled herself together, struggling for self control.

"I want to tell you--" the words came with painful effort--"I _must_
tell you. I've been a coward long enough. _I_ put that book in your
drawer."

The utter hopelessness in the voice swept all thought of anger from Blue
Bonnet's heart, and flooded it with pity. She could not find voice to
speak for a moment.

"You, Joy? You! I can't believe it!"

A look of pride flashed over Joy's face. In that brief second she stood
once more on her old ground--trusted, respected.

"I suppose not," she said dully, and the flush died from her face. "No
one would have believed me so wicked! They don't know me as I am."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Tell me about it, Joy, please. I know you didn't do it on purpose. You
couldn't have. I never did anything to make you hate me like that."

She went over to the grate and stirring the embers into a ruddy glow
drew up a chair and coaxed Joy into it.

"Now we can talk better," she said, sitting down on the hearth rug
beside her. "Tell me how it happened. It's been such a mystery to me."

Joy glanced down into the face upturned in the firelight and almost
gasped at its serenity. There was not a trace of anger in the eyes
lifted to her own--nothing but kindness--and that look, somehow, made it
harder to proceed than any torrent of words.

Between long pauses Joy told Blue Bonnet all that she had told Annabel
Jackson and Miss North; and Blue Bonnet listened breathlessly, a little
sigh escaping her lips as Joy finished the story.

There was tense silence for a minute, and then Blue Bonnet reached up
shyly and took Joy's hand in her own.

"I suppose I ought to be awfully angry at you, Joy, for letting me
suffer as I have the past few days--but--somehow--I'm not--at all. I
feel so sorry for you that there isn't any room for anger. I think I can
understand how it happened."

"You can! It doesn't seem possible that any one could see my side."

Blue Bonnet gazed into the fire and spoke slowly.

"Oh, yes, they could. All but the untruth, Joy--that was the worst, of
course--but then--maybe you haven't been brought up on the truth as I
have. The truth is a sort of religion in our family. That and