that you owe it to Eleanor and
to yourself too to say why you are here."

The Blunderbuss looked defiantly from Betty's determined face to
Eleanor's puzzled one. "I didn't know it was Miss Watson's room until
you came in and asked for her," she vouchsafed at last.

"You didn't know it was her room?" repeated Betty coldly. "Why didn't
you tell me that long ago? Whose room did you think you were in?"

"I thought--I didn't know whose it was."

"Then," said Betty deliberately, "if you admit that you were in here
without knowing who occupied the room you must excuse me if I ask you
whether or not you were looking through Eleanor's bureau drawers just
before I came in."

There was a strained silence.

"You can have all the things back," said the Blunderbuss at last, as
coolly as if she were speaking of returning a borrowed umbrella; and out
of the pockets of the child's apron which she still wore she pulled a
gold chain and a bracelet and held them out to Eleanor. "I don't want
them," she said when neither of the others spoke. "I don't know why I
took them. It just came over me that while all the others were out there
playing it would be a good chance for me to go and look at their pretty
things."

"And to steal the ones you liked best," added Betty scornfully.

The Blunderbuss gave her a vaguely troubled look. "I didn't think of it
that way. Anyway it's all right now. Haven't I given them right back?"

"Suppose we hadn't come in and found you here," put in Eleanor.
"Wouldn't you have taken them away?"

"I--I presume so," said the Blunderbuss.

"So you are the person who has been stealing jewelry from the campus
houses all through this year." Betty's voice grew harder as she
remembered the injustice she had so nearly done Georgia and Miss
Harrison's self-righteous attack on Eleanor in that dreadful
class-meeting.

The Blunderbuss accepted the statement without comment. "They could have
had the things back if they'd asked for them," she said. "I couldn't
very well give them back if they didn't ask."

"Will you give them back now?" asked Betty, astonishment at the girl's
strange behavior gaining on her indignation.

The Blunderbuss nodded vigorously. "Certainly I will. I'll bring them
all here to-night. I don't want them for anything. I never wanted them.
I'm sure I don't know why I took them. Oh, there's just one thing," she
added hastily, "that I can't bring. It isn't with the rest. But I've got
everything e