by. She had put it away in her own tiny bedroom. A feeling of pride
had restrained her from wearing it at school. The other girls wore pins
which were not make-believes and Hester did not like the idea of the odd
metal and cut glass.

"Aunt Debby told me it was just a cheap little pin," she said to herself
as she placed it away. "I shall always keep it because it was my
mother's, but I shall not wear it. I do not feel just right wearing
something which pretends to be something else."

When Hester returned to school Monday morning, more than one pair of
eyes looked eagerly for her coming. Erma and Mellie were hoping that she
would come in with the pin boldly in evidence, and thus put to rout the
rumors which had crept into the hall. Berenice, too, watched for
Hester's coming with a wholly different motive.

"If Hester Alden comes in to class and wears the pin when Helen is
present, then of course nothing can be said. I shall believe it then
that Helen found the pin and allowed Hester to wear it. But if Hester
comes back without it, I shall draw my own conclusions, and I shall feel
justified in doing so."

She did not dare to say this to Mellie, Erma, or the older girls. It was
to Emma she spoke, and Emma being youngest of all, and new to school
life, listened and believed.

Hester was expected on the eight o'clock car. It was not by chance that
some of the girls lingered in the main hall at the time of her coming.

Marshall from the office window, saw the car coming in the distance and
went down to the triangle to carry up Hester's baggage. The group of
girls saw him and moved nearer to the door.

"The car is coming. Hester will be on it," said Berenice. Erma was in
the little group. At the tone in Berenice's voice, Erma flushed. Like a
flash there came to her a conception of the part she was playing in
this. If she were Hester Alden's friend, she had no right to question
her action and no right to wait at the door to find proof of her perfidy
or her honesty. Erma raised her head proudly, "I think I shall not wait
here. I shall see Hester later. The dear old honeysuckle that she is! I
shall be glad to have her back. I missed her dreadfully these two days."
She turned her back on the group and was about to walk away when Mellie
moved forward and slipped her hand in Erma's arm. "I shall go with you,"
she said. Others, grasping the situation more clearly than they had
before, followed the example of Erma. So it was,