remember Roberta and her exaggerated disappointment over
missing the last week's trials.

"Barbara," she began timidly, closing the door again, "I know some one
who intended to try but she was sick with the grippe and couldn't. It's
Roberta Lewis. She told me not to speak of her having wanted to try, but
I don't see why she shouldn't have a chance now, do you? She couldn't be
worse than some of them."

"She certainly couldn't," laughed Barbara.

"She did awfully well in that little girl play you had," said Clara
Ellis, condescending to show a little real interest in the question at
issue. "Did you see it, Miss Kingston?"

Miss Kingston hadn't seen "The Little Princess" and didn't know Roberta;
but she agreed that there was no reason why any girl who was willing to
take it shouldn't have a chance to show what she could do toward
satisfying Mr. Masters.

"But it isn't that I think she will do particularly well," Betty
explained, honestly. "Only I was sorry for her because she seemed to
care such a lot. Shall I stop and ask her on my way?"

Barbara said yes and Betty hurried over to the Belden. Roberta was out,
but a neat sign pinned to her door promised that she would be "Back in a
few minutes," so Betty scribbled a hasty note to explain matters and
hurried off again. She had not much idea that Roberta would care to try
for Shylock now, but she was glad she had thought of giving her the
chance. Roberta was so quiet and self-contained and so seldom expressed
a wish or a preference that it was worth while taking a little trouble
to please her.

"Even if there isn't much sense in what she wants," thought Betty, as
she tramped up Main Street.

The Main Street Shylocks all lived in the same house and not one of them
was in. Betty pursued them back to the campus, caught one at the library
and another in chemistry "lab.," and followed the third down town where
she was discovered going into Cuyler's for an ice. As this last captive
happened to be the most promising Shylock, next to the ones that Mr.
Masters had already seen, Betty led her back to the campus in triumph,
too thankful at having her safe to notice that it was fully a quarter to
five before they reached college hall.

Roberta was sitting by herself on a low window-seat near Miss Kingston's
door. She looked pale and frightened and hardly smiled in answer to
Betty's gay little nod and wave of the hand.

"Goodness, I hope she'll do decently," thought Betty, a