isagreeable manners. You
know that he will be extremely unpleasant and insulting if you go to
him with explanations and apologies. What are you going to do?' 'I
think I'll just keep out of his way for a few weeks,' said Carol
soberly."

"I hope she doesn't talk like that to you, Miss Allen."

Instantly Miss Allen was grave. "No, she does not, I am so sorry."
Leaning forward suddenly, she said, "Miss Starr, why do the twins
dislike me?"

"Dislike you!" echoed Prudence. "Why, they do not dislike you! What
in the world makes you think----"

"Oh, yes indeed they do,--both of them. Now, why? People generally
like me. I have always been popular with my students. This is my
second year here. Last year the whole high school stood by me as one
man. This year, the freshmen started as usual. After one week, the
twins changed. I knew it instantly. Then other freshmen changed. Now
the whole class comes as near snubbing me as they dare. Do you mean to
say they have never told you about it?"

"Indeed they have not. And I am sure you are mistaken. They do like
you. They like everybody."

"Christian tolerance, perhaps," smiled Miss Allen ruefully. "But I
want them to like me personally and intimately. I can help the twins.
I can do them good, I know I can. But they won't let me. They keep me
at arm's length. They are both dear, and I love them. But they freeze
me to death! Why?"

"I can't believe it!"

"But it is true. Don't they talk of their professors at home at all?"

"Oh, often."

"What do they say of us?"

"Why, they say Miss Adams is a perfectly sweet old lamb,--they do not
mean to be disrespectful. And they say Professor Duke is the dearest
duck! They almost swear by 'Professor Duck'!"

"And what do they say of me?"

Prudence hesitated, thinking hard.

"Come now, what do they say? We must get to the bottom of this."

"Why, they have said that you are very pretty, and most unbelievably
smart."

"Oh! Quite a difference between sweet old lamb, and the dearest duck,
and being very pretty and smart! Do you see it?"

"Yes," confessed Prudence reluctantly, "but I hadn't thought of it
before."

"Now, what is wrong? What have I done? Why, look here. The twins
think everything of Professor Duke, and I am sure Carol deliberately
neglects her science lessons in order to be kept in after school by
him. But though she hates mathematics,--my subject,--she works at it
desperately so