.

'You mustn't speak, or we shall not be able to find out your temperature,'
she said, and Angela put on a resigned air, and suffered in silence.

'Now,' continued the head-mistress, pleasantly, 'we can have a few
minutes' conversation, while we are waiting to discover whether Angela has
scarlet fever or not. To begin with, I want to ask you if you remembered,
when you went out of bounds last Thursday, that you were abusing the
trust I had placed in you? Recollect!--I do not keep policemen at every
corner to spy over you when you are left to yourselves, but I do put
you on your honour not to do anything you know I have forbidden. Did you
think of this, Jean?'

Jean reddened and looked down.

'No, I didn't,' she blurted out. 'I forgot all about the bounds, at first,
and I only thought you would like us to feed the poor, and it was such
a grand opportunity. And then, afterwards----'

'Yes--afterwards?' said Miss Finlayson, encouragingly, as Jean hesitated.

'Afterwards, when I saw that woman look like she did, I never thought
of you or anything,' she muttered with an effort; and she was very red
indeed by the time she had finished.

Miss Finlayson took her hand and held it between her own, and then turned
to Barbara.

'Was that your reason too, Babs?' she asked.

'No, it wasn't,' answered Babs, without hesitation. 'I did remember about
going out of bounds directly we climbed over the gate; but I saw the other
two had forgotten, so I didn't say anything.'

The thermometer nearly fell out of Angela's mouth from surprise at this
amazing admission; and Jean felt compelled to say something in Barbara's
defence.

'You see, the boy was crying so,' she interrupted anxiously; 'and I
suppose Babs thought----'

'Hush!' said the head-mistress, softly; 'I want Babs to tell me what she
thought.'

Barbara was almost as red as Jean by this time. 'I didn't think about
the boy, or the poor, or anything,' she confessed; 'but I wanted to see
whether the lane did lead to the enchanted grotto, where the beautiful
princess----'

She paused, because she remembered just in time that nobody ever
understood about those things. Miss Finlayson was watching her carefully.

'And did it?' she asked quietly.

'Oh no,' said Barbara; 'it was _horrible_ when it got round the corner.'

Miss Finlayson nodded, and smiled her own mysterious smile. Then she took
the thermometer out of Angela's mouth.

'And what was your reason, Angela?' s