woman and questioned her regarding the time she
placed her theme in the box, without letting her know my motive in doing
so. Her frank answer completely assured me that she was speaking the
truth. At the same time she explained that she had been late with her
theme on account of mislaying it. She had written it two days before and
placed it in her desk. Then it had mysteriously vanished and suddenly
reappeared in the same pigeonhole in her desk in which she had placed
it. She assured me that directly she found it she took it to the box.
Your theme is so suspiciously similar to hers that it is hardly possible
to believe it to be merely a coincidence. In the face of the
circumstances it looks as though you were the real offender."

Grace regarded Miss Duncan with mute reproach. She could not at once
trust herself to speak.

"Have you anything to say to me, Miss Harlowe?" was the stern question.

"Only, that what I have previously said to you is the truth," answered
Grace, fighting down her desire to cry. Then, seized with a sudden idea,
she said in a tone of subdued excitement, "Will you allow me to look at
that theme again, Miss Duncan?"

Miss Duncan picked up the theme from the desk where Grace had laid it
and handed it to her. A strip of paper had been pasted over the name in
the upper left hand corner. Grace scanned each closely written page
attentively. "This is my theme," she declared finally, "and I have
thought of a way to prove that I wrote it. I did not steal it from
another girl. I would not be so contemptible."

"I shall be very glad to have conclusive proof that you did not,"
commented Miss Duncan rather sarcastically. "Appearances are not in your
favor, Miss Harlowe."

"I am sorry that you doubt my word, Miss Duncan," said Grace with gentle
dignity, "because I am going to prove to you how utterly wrong you have
been in suspecting me of such contemptible conduct. I wrote this theme
in the room of a member of the senior class. She read it after I had
written it. I feel sure that she can identify this as mine because when
I rewrote it I could not remember a word of the original ending which
she had particularly commended. I did the best I could with it, but it
wasn't in the least like the other," Grace ended earnestly.

"Will you tell me the name of the young woman in whose room you wrote
your theme?" asked Miss Duncan, her stern face relaxing a little.

"It was Miss Ashe," returned Grace frankly.

M