ilty of such unlady-like language as fell from your lips,
and it grieves me to know that I have in my school a young girl capable
of cherishing the evil spirit of animosity against a fellow-creature.
What have you to say in defence of your conduct? Can you vindicate it
in any way, or shall I take your silence as full confession of your
guilt?"

Winnie pressed her lips tightly together, but did not speak. "I need
not attempt to clear myself," she mentally decided. "Ada will have
coloured our quarrel to suit herself, and being Mrs. Elder's favourite,
her word will be relied on before mine; that has been the case before,
and will be so again."

The lady-principal, however, mistook the continued silence for
conscious guilt.

"Then I demand that an ample apology be made to Miss Irvine now, in my
presence," she said once more in frigid tones. "Come, Miss Blake; my
time is too precious to be trifled with."

Winnie's eyes sparkled, and raising her small head defiantly, she
replied, "I decline to apologize, Mrs. Elder. I only spoke as I
thought, and am quite prepared to say the same again if occasion
offers. Miss Irvine knows my words, if distasteful, were but too true."

The lady-principal gasped. "Miss Blake," she cried at length,
horrified at the bold assertion, and endeavouring to quail her
audacious pupil with one stern, withering glance, "this is dreadful!"
But the angry child only pouted, and repeated doggedly, "It is quite
true."

Then Mrs. Elder rose, and laying her hand firmly on Winnie's shoulder,
said quietly, but with an awful meaning underlying her words,
"Apologize at once, Miss Blake, or I shall resort to stronger measures,
and also complain to your parents"--a threat which terrified the
unwilling girl into submission.

Going forward with flushed cheeks and mutinous mouth, she stood before
the triumphant Ada, and said sullenly, "Please accept my apology for
unlady-like language, Miss Irvine. I am sorry I should have degraded
myself and spoken as I did, but" (and here a mischievous light swept
the gloomy cloud from the piquant face and lit it up with an elfish
smile) "you provoked me, and I am very outspoken."

Ada coloured with anger and vexation; and in spite of her displeasure,
Mrs. Elder found it difficult to repress a smile.

"That will do," she pronounced coldly; "such an apology is only adding
insult to injury. You will kindly write out twenty times four pages of
French vocabulary, and