us feel like staying here, we will sing our good-night
song and disperse."

And the soft voices rose like a benediction, mingling in the lovely
strains of that most beautiful of all the Camp Fire songs.

Silently, and without the usual glad talk that followed the ending of a
Council Fire, the circle broke up, and the girls, in twos and threes,
spread over the beach.

"Walk over with me, won't you?" Marcia Bates begged Dolly and Bessie.
"Oh, I'm so ashamed! I never thought Gladys would act like that!"

"It isn't your fault, Marcia," said Dolly. "Don't be silly about it.
And, do you know, I'm not angry a bit! Just at first I thought I was
going to be furious. But--well, somehow I can't help admiring Gladys! I
like her better than I ever did before, I really do believe!"

"Oh, I do!" said Bessie, her eyes glowing. "Wasn't she splendid? Of
course, she's all wrong, but she had to be plucky to stand up there like
that, when she knew everyone was against her!"

"But she had no right to insult all you girls, Bessie."

"I don't believe she meant to insult us a bit," said Dolly. "I don't
think she thought much about us. It's just that she has always been
brought up to feel a certain way about things, and she couldn't change
all at once. A whole lot of girls, while they believed just what she
did, and hated the whole idea just as much, would never have dared to
say so, when they knew no one agreed with them."

"Yes, it's just as Miss Eleanor said," said Bessie, "She's not a
hypocrite, no matter what her other faults are. She's not afraid to say
just what she thinks--and that's pretty fine, after all."

"I wish she could hear you," said Marcia, indignantly. "Oh, it's
splendid of you, but I can't feel that way, and there's no use
pretending. I suppose the real reason I'm so angry is that I'm really
very fond of Gladys, and I hate to see her acting this way. She's making
a perfect fool of herself, I think."

"But just think of how splendid it will be when she sees she is wrong,
Marcia," said Bessie. "Because you want to remember if she's plucky
enough to hold out against all her friends this way she will be plucky
enough to own up when she sees the truth, too."

"Yes, and she'll be a convert worth making, too," said Dolly. "There's
just one thing I'm thinking of, Marcia. Will she stay here? Don't you
suppose she'll go home right away? I know I would. I wouldn't want to
stay around this beach after what happened at the Cou